PONY: From the Ashes
by GodSaveTheKings
Summary: The world is at war. As countless die each day, a soldier long-discarded by history makes a grand return to redeem herself of her past. However, when a plan that could forever shift the war is unveiled, she finds herself caught in her most daunting battle yet. To survive, she must face her forgotten friends, bizarre and horrifying warriors, and a ghost long thought to be buried.
1. Prologue: The Return

**Warning: The following story contains scenes of intense violence, descriptions of blood and gore, offensive language, sexual content, and other disturbing or offensive content. If any of these subjects offend you, then we suggest you refrain from reading the following story.**

**Warning: The following story is purely fictional. Any relations to real-life persons or events is coincidental, and should not be interpreted otherwise.**

**Note: The following story is a sequel to the story ,"P.O.N.Y: Police Operative and Nonpareil Youths". If you have not read that story, we highly recommend you do so before reading this, to avoid confusion and possible spoilers.**

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><p><strong>Prologue: The Return<strong>

**06 June, 2025**

**Somewhere Over the Pacific Ocean**

Rough waves crashed against the rocky shore. The water erupted like a geyser upon striking the many black stones, only to retreat back a mere moment later. Dark clouds lingered overhead without action. The sea was barren of life, all things descending deep into the depths of the earth to avoid the incoming storm. Heaven's wrath approached more rapidly as the hour passed. Soon would come the rain and thunder.

It was horrible conditions for a flight, but the job needed to be done anyway. As such, the chopper continued on its route, just beneath the cloud line. If all went well, the mission would be finished before a single drop of water fell from the sky. Then again, there were plenty of uncertain elements in play.

One of which, Felicia Carter noticed, was the figure sitting across from her in the back of the chopper. The wide space was only occupied by the two, making the situation even more unbearable. Why did _she_ have to get assigned to this mission? Granted, it was only an escort; if all went well, she would never have to leave the safety of the chopper. However, it was a very stressful assignment just because of who she was told to accompany. Or, rather, who she _wasn't_ told to accompany.

Agent Dawn, as she was referred to, was a "high priority" individual. Carter was told very little aside from this, and that Dawn was one of the best in the world. Carter herself was not a very well-trained combatant, specializing in intel over anything else. Her lack of knowledge only made it a more daunting task to be near the strange, silent agent. Dawn was heavily concealed in black, covering the majority of her skin. Her clothes were made of a specialized fiber designed to prevent hypothermia, which unfortunately limited her mobility. However, she seemed quite comfortable, or at the very least, not uncomfortable with her get-up. Numerous straps wrapped around her form for her equipment. A thick mask covered her face, leaving only a small slit for her eyes, which were covered by thick goggles. Dawn tapped her fingers against her leg repeatedly. With the goggles, it was impossible for Carter to track her eye movements. This only made it more startling when Dawn spoke up.

"You look nervous," said the agent. Carter quickly looked away.

"I'm not nervous," she quickly stated.

"You're practically jumping out of your skin," Dawn said plainly. "It's probably cuz of this damn helicopter. Flying straight through a storm like this… ridiculous."

"Hey, the pilot knows what he's doing," Carter said defensively. "This thing's been built to handle tough weather conditions. This baby isn't just silenced, but its plating is designed to redirect large volts of electricity, and a sleek exterior means that it's practically waterproof. Really, we'd have a better chance of dying in a car crash than crashing this chopper in a storm."

"Then why are you still shaking?" Dawn asked accusingly. Carter glanced away nervously. She couldn't well say tell Dawn that _she_ was the reason for her panicking. Instead, she quickly lied,

"This is my first time flying. I've only run simulations." Dawn looked at Carter for a long time. Carter twiddled her thumbs nervously, trying her best to sell her phobia.

"Am I really _that_ scary?" she asked, almost disappointed. Carter's eyes went wide. She refused to look Dawn in the face. Even through the mask, she was rather certain she was being viciously glared at.

"Uh… uh…" Carter stammered. She had the most horrible feeling that Dawn was about to reach across the room and rip her head off. There was a small part of her that knew better; after all, Dawn was a well-trained soldier, and was probably very good at keeping herself together. The mathematical probability of her Dawn murdering her was very low. Still, she gained no confidence from Dawn's hidden face.

But then, Dawn began to laugh. It was a soft chuckle that began very quiet, and gradually rose in volume. Dawn brought a hand to her forehead.

"Wow. I'm _scary_. That's something different." Dawn calmed herself down, and looked back at Carter. "Look, kid. I'm not gonna hurt you, or nothin'. I _am_ a person too, just an older one. Now, can ya wipe that crazed look off your face and focus on the mission?"

"Uh… yes, ma'am," Carter said, giving a nervous solute. Suddenly, a burst of static rang in their eardrums. A soft, feminine voice came through.

"Are you scaring people again, Dawn?" asked the voice.

"I didn't do anything, Jessie" Dawn sighed. "My reputation apparently has the better of me, despite me not actually telling it to anybody."

"Hey, people respect you," Jessie responded. "They just show respect in a lot of different ways. Also, you _do_ remember that you have cameras attached to your suit, right? We can hear everything you say."

"I figured as much," Dawn said. "So tell me, what's the plan?"

"You know the plan already."

"Humor me," Dawn said. "It's something I used to do a long time ago. It keeps things fresh in my mind. So tell me, what's the plan?"

Jessie sighed over the earpiece. Dawn had not been used to such clear sound. She had to admit that she was hesitant about getting a transmitter implanted in her head at first. However, given the added benefits of crystal clear communication through all weather conditions, and the improved audio quality, she was beginning to feel much more comfortable with it. Not only that, but it allowed her to speak to her entire support team at once instead of manually switching radio channels. Now, the voice of the mission overseer, Commander Scarlet, came to her.

"Your assignment is simple, Agent Dawn," said the commander. "We've discovered a terrorist hideout on the small island of Manchiko. Reports indicate that the organization P.U.R.E. has been storing supplies there for several months. This may, in fact, be their final stronghold. You'll be dropped off just off of the coast. Your mission is to eliminate all targets, and, if possible, recover the stolen possessions. Reports indicate twelve hostiles, led by renowned gangster Dwayne Harrison."

"He was the former head of the Smiling Dragons before Discord took over, right? And now you think he's the head of P.U.R.E."

"If you already know this, why am I telling you?"

"Just keep going," Dawn said, annoyed. "It's fun. Reminds me of old times." Scarlet let out a disgruntled groan. Carter reached underneath her seat, and pulled out a large briefcase. She opened it up, revealing a large cache of weaponry."

"You won't be able to carry much due to the nature of your landing," Scarlet explained. "Jackson, run down."

"Yes, ma'am," said another voice. Jackson, the weapon officer, gave Dawn the basics as Carter handed her each tool. "Your main weapon is a V-38 SMART pistol, twelve shots, equipped silencer. Heavily customized, including a replaced ring hammer for quicker cocking speed, lengthened and lightened trigger for improved finger access, flattened housing for better grip, wide magazines for smoother reloading times… the works. That switch there on the left activates the SMART heat targeting system. Automated barrel pinpoints a target's weak spot in one point seven seconds. All you have to do is lock-on with the targeting mechanism above the barrel, and fire. Special magazines are filled with .40 caliber concussive rounds, made of hardened lead. You'll be granted with two extra magazines in case of an emergency. Aside from that, you'll be equipped with two sonic grenades that release a low frequency infrasound of fifteen Hz capable of incapacitating targets during its duration. Your earpiece contains dampeners to block out the effects. In addition, you'll be given two ballistic knives, each spring-loaded and capable of launching its blade up to ten meters. All in all, you're carrying thirty thousand dollars' worth of government property. Try not to waste it all."

Dawn finished strapping her weapons to her suit. "Hold up. You actually spent thirty-thousand dollars on one gun and two grenades? You _do_ know that a normal pistol costs five hundred bucks."

"These weapons are some of the finest, rarest specimens in the world," Jackson stated. "For important assignments, we need to make sure our agents have the best tools available."

"I could probably do the mission fine with an M1911 and a bowie knife," Dawn stated with confidence. "Just seems like a waste of money to me."

"You don't have time for an opinion now," Jessie interrupted. "You're approaching the drop-zone."

The helicopter slowed to a halt, hovering still above the crashing waves. Dawn sighed, and stood up, stretching out her aching muscles. The act of going on a mission felt foreign to her. For the first time in her life, she felt uncertainty. Her fingers twitched nervously as she walked to the door. She closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths. She knew what she was doing. She had been on plenty of missions before. Sure, she was rusty, but she had more than enough skills to get the job done. All of the familiar feelings came back to her: the adrenaline, the smell of battle, the endorphins rushing in her blood. She was ready. The back of the helicopter opened up, allowing the moonlight to seep in. Dawn walked up to the edge of the platform. She could spot Manchiko Island several hundred yards in the distance, a small rocky platform surrounded by the sea.

"Remember, this is a solo infiltration mission," Scarlet stated. "Too many risks involved. We can't send you any reinforcements if the job goes south. Once you're finished, we'll give you a pickup, as well as any supplies you can obtain."

"Got it," Dawn stated. Suddenly, Carter walked up to her, and handed her a small, metal object. It was dome-shaped, with a flat, open bottom, and several small openings spread throughout the sides and back.

"This is for when you hit the water," Carter explained. "We can't get much closer than this without the risk of being spotted. Once you make splashdown, reach inside, and press the trigger. It'll help move you through the rough current."

"Aren't you gonna give me a parachute?" Dawn asked quizzically. "We're a hundred feet in the air."

"Not in with the wind like this," said Carter. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

"You mean I'm just supposed to jump?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Your suit is lined with shock-absorbing padding. It's able to withstand and redistribute the pressure of a forty mile-per-hour car crash. Hypothetically, you should be able to hit the water fine, as long as you don't land on your face. Try to relax. You… you _shouldn't_ die."

Dawn sighed grudgingly. "You damn kids and your technology."

And then, without saying another word, Dawn nonchalantly stepped off the edge, and fell. Carter watched in amazement as Dawn tumbled around in the air as she plummeted. If Carter was honest with herself, she doubted the shock absorbents would be enough. Yet Dawn trusted her without a moment's hesitation. Sheer loyalty was something Carter was not used to seeing in a soldier. Whoever was underneath that mask, she sure had plenty of faith in her allies.

Dawn kept her hands at her side during her fall. Even as she spun, she never needed to reorient herself. The island seemed quite far away, now that she got a good look at it. Hopefully, she would be able to reach it in time before the current overtook her. Dawn found it very surprising how calm she was about falling out of the sky. Even though she was obviously out of the loop, she had a feeling that such an experience would traumatize any other soldier for life. Her only hypothesis was that she was so worked up as it was that all other activities became muted. She remained mysteriously calm as the waves drew closer. Twenty feet away. Fifteen meters. Ten meters. At the last moment, Dawn swung her body up, pointing her toes straight down.

_SPLASH_

The surface of the water was easily broken. Dawn sank several feet beneath the surface. She had done her best to keep her muscles loose during the impact, but she still felt the aftershock of the landing. However, this gave way to a very happy revelation: she was still alive. Unfortunately, this also revealed another great truth: she was going to drown. Already she could feel the pressure of the water building over her mask.

_This better work too,_ Dawn thought as she grabbed onto her small propeller. She pressed the trigger, and was immediately jolted forward by the force of the blades. She nearly let the object fly out of her hands, only just having enough control to point it in the correct direction. She suddenly found herself rocketing towards her target at a near-blistering pace. She could feel the pressure of the water get more intense a she continued. Her goggles pressed tightly against her skin, and water seeped through her mask. Yet, she made no attempts to surface.

"Almost there, Dawn," claimed Scarlet. "Approaching within one hundred meters of the shore. Start slowing down the propeller."

Dawn tried to say something, but instantly felt the water in her jaw. She slowly released her (ever-tightening) grip on the trigger, allowing the propeller to begin shutting down. At the same time, she felt a perfect opportunity to scour the area ahead. Once the propeller had reduced to a gentle purr in the water, Dawn broke the surface of the water, coughing and sputtering. She briefly opened up her mask to spit out excess liquid, when a wave unexpectedly crashed over her.

_Damn it, I gotta get out of this,_ Dawn thought, slightly worried. She was only twenty or so feet away from the black rocks which lined the shore of Manchiko. Another wave washed over her, except now she was prepared. Pushing past her desperation, she loosened her body, allowing the wave to carry her form. She floated just under the crest, feeling a tremendous pressure on her spine from the force of the current. Against the pitch-black sky, she barely noticed that her head was about to collide with one of the stones.

However, just before contact, Dawn grabbed onto the rock, and rolled herself on top of it. She pressed her stomach down against the hard surface as the wave crashed over her back. She waited until she felt the water recede back into the depths before she looked around her surroundings.

Dawn had not heard much of Manchiko Island before. She had only done some basic reading prior to the mission, which, since _itself_ had come seemingly out of nowhere, barely gave her enough information. Manchiko was the formerly owned territory of a Korean coal company, seeking to expand their trade. Although small, the island was rich with minerals. A small factory, therefore, had been constructed in the center, with several roadways leading to ports along the east side. Unfortunately, a sudden monsoon had forced the island to be abandoned, and much of the equipment was entirely destroyed. The foundation of the factory remained, most likely acting as the hideout for Dwayne Harrison's operation.

"I made landfall," Dawn reported. "No signs of any hostiles. Preparing to advance."

"Stay alert," Scarlet stated. "In these conditions, targets have a better chance of getting the jump on you."

"And _I_ have a better chance of getting the jump on _them_," Dawn reaffirmed more confidently. "Anyway, start the clock. I wanna see how long this takes me."

"I'm not doing that. Please don't kill yourself. It would really be a waste for you to agree to do this only to get shot on sight."

"Have a little faith," said Dawn. After giving one last scan for signs of life, Dawn rose to her feet, and quickly advanced on the rocks. Her boots were designed with extra grips, allowing her to easily cling to the slippery surface of the stones. She kept one hand hovered over SMART gun in case of an emergency. Yet the sereneness never left the air as she moved towards the base. Perhaps, she wondered, the criminals were taking refuge inside of the factory, preparing for the storm.

Soon, the facility came into view. It was simply a set of two concrete buildings, an old drilling mechanism, and several dozen storage tanks, all surrounded by a chain-link fence. Dawn jogged carefully towards it, constantly darting her head back and forth. She expected more people to start arriving into view, but no one seemed to approach. Then, out of the blue, two men strolled around the corner of the building, walking around the fence. Dawn immediately dove into cover behind a large black rock. She pressed tightly up against the barrier, hoping to camouflage into the night.

"It's getting worse," said one of the men. He and his partner were carrying machine guns slung over their shoulders. Other than that, Dawn noticed how they seemed to be dressed very lightly. Both men wore sleeveless shirts and beige shorts, as if they were on vacation.

"Jesus, you would think Harrison might evacuate before a storm," complained the other guard. "I mean, are these supplies really _that_ important?"

"Apparently they are," retorted the first guard. "The boss says we're gonna be leaving soon anyway, so why complain?"

"Because 'soon' isn't soon enough."

"At least they're already prepping the boats."

"Boats? I thought we were taking choppers."

"Not enough room. Isn't that a shame?"

The second guard grumbled something as he passed by the rock which Dawn hid behind. At once, the agent sensed her opportunity. Twelve targets were on the island, and two were standing right in front of her. She couldn't afford to waste the chance. The moment the men walked past, Dawn rolled out from behind cover, and took aim with the SMART pistol. Figuring the technology might as well not go to waste, Dawn flipped the small switch on the side. Above the sights appeared an inch-wide screen, displaying the image directly in front of her. Two red squares suddenly materialized over the heads of the men, hovering in place. Dawn raised her eyebrow, slightly underwhelmed. Nevertheless, she pulled the trigger twice, making sure to keep the gun pointed in between the two guards, so that the sights could encompass both at the same time.

_Schlick Schlick_

The two men quickly collapsed to the ground, scattering their guns across the ground.

"Heh, the thing works after all," Dawn said with amusement. However, a voice rang out in her ear, much less amused.

"You _do_ know that equipment is really expensive, right?" asked Commander Scarlet.

"Of course," Dawn said, carefully walking over to their bodies to determine the full effect of the shots. "That's why I bothered to use the damn thing in the first place."

"That gun is supposed to be used for much more… _intense_ situations," Scarlet groaned. "You know, like when in hot pursuit or during times of extreme duress. You're not supposed to waste it on tasks you could easily accomplish without it."

"Hey, I killed the two guys you wanted me to," Dawn retorted. The two men had their faces contorted with shock, eyes glaring fearfully at the ground. Blood dripped from their skulls. "If you want, I can just chuck those grenades in the ocean if you don't want me using them."

Scarlet growled. "Damn it, you are arrogant. For all your talents, you're treating this operation like a joke, and frankly, are starting to piss me off. Look, I get that you're talented and whatnot, but that doesn't mean you can willfully waste military tech on whoever you please. Be _resourceful_, Dawn. Just because you're out of the loop doesn't excuse—"

Suddenly, Scarlet paused. Dawn could hear someone talking nervously in the background.

"What? She can't do that. We're—I understand, but who says—yes, but… okay… okay, fine. Let her in."

Scarlet let out a very loud groan. Whatever the problem was, she was not in the mood to deal with it.

"Look Dawn, I don't know how to really say this, but…" Scarlet stammered awkwardly. "Well, one 'Major Dawson' is here to speak with you. She's on the bridge now."

Dawn stopped her advance. She couldn't help but give a small grin at the name. Despite all she had been through, it still felt alien to say those two words next to each other. Dawson was a name she would have never thought to relate to authority, and yet here she was doing just that. Based on the sound of it, Scarlet was quite irritated as the Major was given permission to enter. It was the perfect emotional response, the only logical emotional response Dawson should have ever gotten. Just the idea of it made Dawn feel proud, like a parent who had successfully raised their young.

"Well, I'll be damned," said the new voice. She spoke with the slightest notion of cockiness and arrogance, as if she knew everything there was to know in the world. "Is… is that actually _you_?"

"Good to hear from you too, Major," Dawn responded. "Did you get promoted recently? I like the new title."

"You know," Dawson said, quickly changing the subject. "It's about two in the morning here. I'm just in my bed, having a pretty nice dream, and suddenly, someone bursts in my room out of fucking nowhere. Scares the shit out of me. This lunatic actually tells me that _you_, of all people, are going on a mission in the middle of the ocean. Of course, they kept calling you 'Dawn', but it's not really hard to tell people apart when they're so talented. I couldn't get over here fast enough, and that's saying something. So, tell me… when the fuck did you get back?"

"I can't really say right now, Major," Dawn replied. "How about when I get back tomorrow, we go to a diner and talk about it? I won't have to worry about getting shot."

Dawson snickered. "Yeah, that would suck, wouldn't it? Anyway, I just wanted to check in on your progress."

"Oh, not too bad," Dawn stated. She had long since climbed over the fence, and was now sneaking around the main facilities. She took off her goggles, and rested them on her forehead; the excess moisture had long since made using them unreliable. Dawn pressed herself against one of the factory walls. She heard footsteps nearby, and gentle speech. She took a deep breath, and pulled out her ballistic knife. Soon, two more guards (wearing equally inadequate clothing) turned the corner, not so much as giving her a passing glance. Smirking at the opportunity, Dawn quickly lunged forward, and stabbed one of the goons in the back of the neck. He released a desperate, gurgling sound as he fell to his knees, and Dawn charged past him. The other guard turned around just as she closed the distance. He tried to scream, but Dawn placed one hand over his mouth. She tackled him to the ground, holding down his arms with her knees. She rammed the blade into the side of his neck, slashing deep and often to maximize the bleeding. He soon stopped struggling, and became still.

"Damn, that was impressive," Major Dawson stated with enthusiasm.

"Quite," Jessie chimed in. "You're already one-fourth of the way done."

"Thanks," Dawn replied honestly. She dragged the bodies out of sight. "Hey Major, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Oh, damn it," Scarlet cursed. She had no desire to hear Dawn continue to rant on about it, yet the agent was intent on winning this grandiose war.

"Do you see this?" Dawn asked, holding her SMART pistol up to the camera in her suit.

"They gave you a V-38?" Dawson asked in shock. "Why the hell did you get a V-38?"

"That's not the point. Just… don't you think this is a bit overkill? Why the hell are we wasting all of our funding on automatic guns?"

"Because people don't train soldiers like they used to, I guess. Believe it or not, but those things actually come in handy during major combat operations. It's near impossible to cause any innocent casualties with a SMART gun. But now that I think about it… Commander, why did you bother giving this agent a SMART gun for this operation?"

"Ma'am, I simply thought that she might require some assistance, given the nature of the operation," said Scarlet.

Dawson snickered. "Trust me, Scarlet. If there's _one_ person who doesn't need help, it's _this_ person. You might as well as given her a toothpick and some fucking bubblegum, 'cause honestly, it doesn't make a difference in her performance."

"I'm not supposed to take that as an insult, am I Major?" asked Dawn jokingly. She moved forward, keeping very close to the concrete wall of the factory.

"Only if you want to," came the reply. Dawn nodded, even though she knew no one would see. It felt almost like old times. Almost. In such a long amount of time, it was unbelievably comforting to hear Dawson acting almost entirely the same as she used to. She pressed on her mission more confidently than before. Sure, her talents may have waned, but she had the same spirit, the same heart. Only eight more targets left.

Suddenly, Dawn heard voices coming from around the bend. She crouched down, and moved very slowly towards the edge of the wall, ballistic knife in hand. Dawn peered carefully around the corner. Before her was what appeared to be a large garage area, housing two Jeeps and a motor bike. A long, paved path carved through the earth from the garage off into the distance, presumably heading down to the coast. Inside of the garage, Dawn spotted five armed men. Two of them were loading a large crate into the back of one of the cars, and the other three stood nearby; one of the men was yelling at the others. His head was shaved, and a long scar traced across his face. A dark tattoo ran up his forearm. Dawn recognized the target as Dwayne Harrison.

"We should have had these crates loaded hours ago!" Harrison shouted.

"How many times do we have to apologize for that?" asked one of the other men.

"Do you have any idea how long Suresh and Noam have been waiting by the docks for us?" Harrison said. "Jesus, those boys are probably pissing themselves by now."

"Those lazy fucks probably haven't even untied the boats yet," claimed the other man. Harrison groaned.

"Why did you people have to be chosen? Of all the kind, ethical people in the world, _you_ worthless shits are the ones I need to work with."

"That's all part of the job, ain't it?" asked one man quizzically. "We may be better than everyone else, but you aren't better than me. Or Jimmy, for that matter."

"Yeah, maybe you should treat us better," said the other man. Harrison then divulged into a fit of screaming and curses, flailing his arms about angrily. By this point, Dawn had ceased to care about their conversation. She was checking over her ammo, making sure she had everything she needed to attack. She could easily get the jump on them, wiping out at least two or three in a few seconds. With the SMART gun, she might have been able to get all five at once. Then, she supposed she would take one of the vehicles, and strike the two guards by the docks. However, Dawn then thought of something odd.

_Hey,_ she thought to herself. _Weren't there supposed to be eight—_

Suddenly, someone let out a shocked gasp from behind her. Dawn whirled around as fast as she could. Standing less than five feet away was a young-looking man, gazing at her in shock. He seemed innocent in the face, but carried a rifle in his arms. Dawn fought away the panic rising in her system, and raised her arm.

"Intruder!" the man shouted desperately. "Help! Intru—"

The blade shot out from its hilt and entered the man's neck in a flash. He reached for his throat, trying fruitlessly to halt the bleeding. In only a few short moments, he collapsed to the ground, dead. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Dawn heard the sound of engines, and burst around the corner just in time to see the two vehicles take off. Her gaze briefly met Harrison, who was rising passenger in the further car. Dawn tried to act as fast as possible. She reached to her side, and unclipped one of her frequency grenades. She sprinted forward several paces, and then lobbed the object as far as she possibly could. She watched in anticipation as the metallic ball bounced into the other car, and the two occupants glanced towards it in confusion. Then, Dawn watched as their faces became contorted with pain for no discernable reason, and they clutched their ears tightly. The car swerved off of the path, flipping onto its side, and colliding into a set of jagged rocks.

_Two more down,_ Dawn thought positively. Still, those were only grunts; she had let Harrison get away.

"Nice toss," Dawson commented. "But you do realize that you're supposed to kill the _other_ guy, right?" Dawn looked around for options. She knew she couldn't catch up on foot. By the time she arrived, Harrison would have certainly left the island. He would be following the road, but she had no idea how long it actually was. It could take twenty or so minutes to run to the end of it. But then, Dawn had an idea.

"Don't worry," Dawn said, sprinting back to the garage. "I'm in pursuit of the target. He's not getting' away."

Meanwhile, Dwayne Harrison was busy glancing behind his shoulder, viewing the crash. The car had now caught fire, its flame cackling over the crushed bodies of his underlings. He swore under his breath, and then turned to his partner in the backseat.

"Who the hell was that?" he asked.

"How the hell should I know?" responded the man, clearly distraught. "It's like he fucking came out of nowhere. Do you think he's government?"

"We _should_ be protected from them," claimed Harrison. "But… maybe they didn't have time to warn us, or something got out about Manchiko. Either way, we're getting out of here _fast_."

"As long as those boats are ready, you mean," said the driver. "Man, half the shipment—"

"I know, I know!" screamed Harrison. "We'll figure it out later. Let's just—"

"Boss, someone's coming!" cried out the man in the back. Harrison turned around. A dark figure was rapidly approaching on the back of a motorcycle. She was quickly gaining ground on them. Harrison gave the order to fire, and the guard shot at the agent wildly. Unfortunately for him, the road was rigid, and so his shots landed all around his intended target. Soon, Dawn had pulled up right next to the vehicle, and he took aim once again. However, before he could pull the trigger, she rammed her bike into the car, leaping off of it into the seats. She quickly swept the man's legs, sending him falling off of the vehicle. He landed head first, cracking his neck as he tumbled across the pavement.

_Four left,_ thought Dawn. She rose to her feet, pulling out her second knife. She gripped it tightly as she struggled to maintain her balance. Harrison growled, and leapt into the back with her. The driver kept heading for the docks, regardless of what was happening just a foot behind his head.

"Okay, you stupid bitch," said Harrison. He groaned, and suddenly, two long, bony spikes extended out of his wrists. Dawn stared at them in amazement, almost _pleasantly_ surprised. Harrison was a Macer, and suddenly, things became a lot more interesting to her. He swung at her head, and she barely managed to duck the blow in time. He used his blades like swords, swinging slow and wide. Luckily, Dawn was quite able to dodge most of his attacks. She jabbed forward with her own blade, managing to stick Harrison in the shoulder. He retaliated by attacking her legs, hoping to cause her as much pain as possible before he killed her. However, her speed was far too much for him. No matter what he did, she was never able to be hit.

"Dawn, you are rapidly approaching the docks," Scarlet quickly chimed in. "Wrap this up already."

"Got it," Dawn said. She allowed herself to glance to her side. Sure enough, she could see a large boat in the distance, and two brightly-dressed men standing by it. They would arrive in a matter of seconds. Dawn knew what to do. She shot out her unarmed hand towards Harrison's face, which he easily caught. However, she swung her leg up, wrapped it around his neck, and tossed him off of the car. Then, she hurriedly unhooked her last grenade, and lightly rolled it at the driver's feet. It lodged underneath his brake, causing him to panic. Dawn hopped off of the back of the jeep, rolling on the ground before she recovered to her knees. She grabbed her gun, and took aim. The reticle held over the driver's head, and with the simple pull of a trigger, a bullet entered the back of his skull. The car continued rapidly into a direct path with the boat. Dawn hit the ground, and covered her ears.

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM**_

The earth shook as a fireball lit up the night sky. Dawn waited several seconds for the vibrations to finish. The entire world seemed to shake and come undone from the force of the blast. When things finally became still again, Dawn cautiously stood up. She looked on towards the docks, but could only see flaming wreckage and burnt bodies. She breathed heavily, and brushed herself off of any gravel that had attached to her suit.

"Dammit, Dawn," said Scarlet bitterly. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"What are you talking about?" said Major Dawson. "That was essentially the coolest thing I've seen in _years_. Military life really needs more explosions."

Scarlet groaned in frustration. "Are the targets dead?"

"I'm pretty sure," Dawn said with a shrug. "I'd like to see anyone who could survive that. Also, sorry about those supplies. They kinda… blew up a little."

"As long as the targets are KIA, I suppose," Scarlet said, somewhat disappointed. "Sending in your evac. ETA: two minutes."

Dawn smirked. "See ya soon," she said happily. She was starting to get sweaty underneath her mask. She couldn't tell whether it was from the heat of the fires, or the intensity of the battle, but she could not wait to get out of her suit. It may have been perfectly designed for aquatic environments, but it was extremely uncomfortable on land.

"You… you monster," said a weak voice. Dawn looked to her right. There, bloodied and beaten on the side of the road, was Dwayne Harrison, gazing up pitifully at the sky. Dawn began to walk towards him.

"You put up a decent fight," Dawn admitted. "Those bones could have come in real handy if you lost a little muscle. You were just too slow, but other than that, your form was alright. It doesn't matter. Your little operation here is over."

Harrison began to laugh. Dawn tilted her head to the side, puzzled. "You… you think this is over? Do you think you've won this war? Ha ha ha… you haven't won anything. P.U.R.E. cannot be destroyed. It is an ideology, a state of being. The will of the people cannot be crushed, no matter how hard you fascists try to bring us down. We fight for the good of humanity. I may fall, but thousands more will take my place. We are the future of this world. Soon, we will rise above this pathetic world, and we will prove our worth! We are—"

Harrison, unfortunately, had a very difficult time continuing his rant as a bullet found its way through his head. Blood splattered over the ground in uneven patterns. Dawn simply sighed, and put her gun back in her pocket.

"Good luck with that," she said to the corpse, before walking off towards the nearby coast. She sat down on the rock, and looked up at the stars. There had been so much bloodshed down on the ground, but the heavens appeared as peaceful as ever before. It made her feel almost tranquil inside. The adrenaline in her system began to die down. Her high had ended, leaving her barely satisfied. She felt stuffed inside of her suit, and so she removed first her gloves, and then gently pulled off her mask and goggles.

She looked at her clammy hands. Her tan skin was battered with beads of sweat. Her aged face was weary. Her thin lips were locked into a small smile. Her dark green eyes danced back and forth among the stars, observing the in all their ancient wonder. She ran a hand through her blonde, crew cut hair, its roots just beginning to turn white. She took a very deep breath, exhaling into the chilled air.

It had been far too long since she had done something like that. It felt like she had finally returned home. Times may have changed plenty since she had left, but she was still just as skilled as ever. It gave her some much needed confidence that she was doing the right thing. She could almost feel pride welling in her chest, if it otherwise wasn't so empty to start with. As she heard the chopper blades in the distance, she felt her muscles relax once again. Her mission was completed efficiently enough, and there was still much more work to be done. She could hardly wait to go back.

For the first time in nearly ten years, AJ Balle had returned to action.

**Prologue: Completed**

* * *

><p><strong>A Note to the Reader: We at GodSaveTheKings would like to thank you for reading to the end of this chapter. If you happen to be reading this, and you have not yet read the original story, then we once again highly suggest that you do so before continuing on. The original story can be found on our profile page. If you have already read the original story, then we hope you will enjoy more. We received numerous requests and messages asking for a sequel to P.O.N.Y, and we thought that if we were going to write another P.O.N.Y. story, then we would have to step up our game. Many times, sequels are simply churned out without much thought or effort to capitalize on the appeal of the original. We at GodSaveTheKings hate this notion, and wanted to make sure that we put as much care into this as possible. We want to make a different kind of sequel, one that both pleases and surprises the audience, and we hope that that goal comes across as the story progresses. We will release a new chapter every two weeks, so stay tuned. Lastly, we at GodSaveTheKings greatly appreciate all forms of feedback, as it helps us better develop our stories. We always try to respond to every comment as best as we can. So, we ask you: what are you looking forward to most in From the Ashes? What do you want to see next? Please, comment and let us know. <strong>


	2. Act I: Storm in the Desert (Briefing)

**Act I: Storm in the Desert**

**Mission Briefing**

**07 June, 2025**

**Los Angeles, California **

"Approaching the LZ," said the helicopter pilot. AJ let out a sigh. It wasn't that she hated the feeling of flying in a chopper. In fact, it was quite the opposite sensation, given how she had never really been given the opportunity before. However, she found that she was not entire fond of the cramped space. She was far from claustrophobic, but could not help feel a certain uneasiness while airborne. There were simply too many people in too small of a space.

Luckily, a quick glance out of the window caused relief to wash over her. The military base was expansive, to say the least. She saw what had to be hundreds of people walking about, and dozens of buildings, their purpose unbeknownst to her. She spotted cars, trucks, tanks, and even planes scattered throughout. The hot sun beat down upon the gravel, creating a nearly-blinding stream of light. It was one of the rare times where AJ actually thought something looked beautiful.

Someone on the ground was ushering them to land. The pilot eased to the landing pad, carefully touching down atop the large "H" center-placed. AJ rubbed her hands together nervously. She was starting to think that, perhaps, her unease wasn't being caused by the helicopter. After all, so much had changed in such a short time. Plus, she had never _officially_ been military. She was an outcast, famous only through the mask of another name. It would have to be a whole new beginning. She began to think that coming back was a mistake.

But then, she glanced out the window, and smiled. Waiting by the helipad, not twenty feet away, was someone quite familiar. Granted, she looked different than how AJ remembered her. She wore a thick, green uniform, decorated with countless ribbons and medals. Her raven black hair was short, hidden under a beret. Large sunglasses covered up her face. Yet she was easily recognizable to AJ by the way she had her arms crossed lazily over her chest, and the cocky grin plastered across her face.

AJ picked up her heavy bag off of the floor, and jumped out of the helicopter. In the time since her last mission, she had gone to her home to pack-up some last minute necessities. She had changed into lighter clothes than her sweaty water gear. This turned out to be rather fortunate for her, as the California sun beat down brightly on the earth that day. She immediately had to use her hand to block out the sun, which only seemed to grow brighter and brighter. She walked casually over to her friend, who never moved from her stance.

"You know," said Rebecca. "If I were to expect a grand entrance from the greatest soldier ever, I'd be really disappointed in you right now."

AJ sighed. She held out her hand, and Rebecca happily shook it. Then, the two pulled each other in for a quick hug.

"It's great to see you too, Rebecca," AJ stated. They pulled away.

"Man, it's been… what, four years?" Rebecca said in disbelief. "That's just crazy. You look good, by the way. Although…" Rebecca roughly rubbed AJ's head, feeling the strange sensation. AJ swatted her away. "…you look weird with short hair."

"Well, I figured that since I'm going back to the military, might as well try to match the look, right?" AJ ran a hand through her hair to emphasize. She tried her best to comb it back into place, but it just became messy, with numerous pieces of hair sticking out in all directions.

"Except now you look like a ten year-old boy," Rebecca snickered. "Which, you know, wasn't difficult for you _already_."

"I'm instantly regretting ever coming back," AJ said with an amused sigh. "Can we get out of the sun? I'm starting to go blind."

"Jeez, you've been in California for two seconds and you already want to go inside? I knew you were an anti-socialite."

"No more than you anyway. Seriously though, we need to get some things arranged."

"Yeah, I know. My station is on the other side of the base. We can talk there, if you like."

"Great. Where's your car?"

"Don't have one," Rebecca said with a shrug. AJ tilted her head, puzzled. She looked onwards towards what she assumed to be Rebecca's place of work. However, this building was at least several hundred yards away. It wasn't that she had a problem walking; she had walked places all her life. It was simply that her bag was rather heavy, and she herself was tired from a restless night's sleep. The sooner she had things settled out, the better. Of course, a faster mode of transport would be ideal.

"Do you mean you actually ran all the way out here to catch up with me?" AJ asked.

"Hey, I was eager," Rebecca admitted. "It's not every day someone as important as you comes to visit. Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Yeah. It would have been better if you drove."

"Is the world's greatest super-soldier getting _lazy_?"

"No, it's just—"

"You _do_ look older. Maybe you just broke a hip or something."

"Dash…"

"I'm joking, I'm joking," Rebecca assured. "Don't worry about the car. I've got that taken care of."

AJ barely had time to consider what Rebecca meant before a new sound caught her ear. She turned to face it. Off in the distance, she could spot something moving swiftly through her hazy vision. It was a car, AJ determined, rapidly heading towards her. For a brief moment, she considered that the car would end up crashing into her. Even though there was still plenty of time until its arrival, it seemed like the driver refused to slow down _at all_. Bu then, AJ felt foolish. She had not come out of retirement just to be run down at the military base, especially not by someone associated with Rebecca (even as she watched Rebecca calmly anticipate the vehicle's arrival, she became more relaxed). So, she was just thankful that soon, she could get to Dash's office, perhaps get some lunch, and work everything out.

But then, she noticed that the driver was not slowing down. She was only fifty or so feet away, and was traveling at forty miles per hour. She got closer, then closer still. AJ's instincts told her to dodge out of the way before the car crashed into the helicopter. Yet Rebecca seemed unconcerned, and so she remained in place, albeit much more nervous. Around the time that the car had gotten within thirty feet and did not slow, AJ officially began to freak out inside of her mind. She had been out of action so long, she was completely unable to maintain her composure. She honestly thought she was about to be run over.

Suddenly, she saw the driver slam on the brakes, shift the gear, and spin around the wheel. The car's wheels locked into place, and the vehicle skid along the ground, rotating multiple times. It finally came to an even more-sudden halt, the side of the car just inches away from AJ and Rebecca. AJ unclenched her fist, which was peculiar, because she never remembered clenching it at all. Rebecca just looked at the car, a very amused smirk on her face.

The somewhat-insane driver (who, instead of a seatbelt wore a devious smirk) hopped out of the car, and quickly moved to the opposite side, parking herself a meter in front of AJ, who examined the young soldier carefully. The soldier was a woman, although "girl" was a much more appropriate term, since she hardly seemed old enough to graduate from junior high. Her cadet's uniform was rolled up past her elbows, and the top two buttons were undone, revealing a silver cross dangling from her neck on a chain. The sun radiated deeply off of her tea-colored skin, casting a glow over her figure. Her short, brown hair had streaks of violet running through it, indicating a trend slowly dying out amongst the youth of America. As for her face, AJ noticed a very fearsome complexion. Despite her wide eyes and full cheeks, the soldier's presence was intimidating, if not just for the dead, determined glare she was giving.

AJ was too busy looking the girl over that she nearly jumped out of skin when the soldier raised her hand into a salute, planted her feet firmly on the ground, and shouted forcefully: "Private Jamie Robinson, United States Armed Forces, at your service, _ma'am_!"

The last word penetrated deep into AJ's cranium, resting there for a moment before passing into her subconscious. She was taken aback quite a bit, and failed to hide it, looking around in any direction just to avoid looking at the soldier in the eyes. However, Rebecca simply put her head down, and sighed.

"Scoots, you can put your hand down now," said the Major, somewhat tiredly. At that moment, a quite peculiar thing happened. The young girl, Jamie, suddenly had what could only be described as a breakdown. She shot down her hand, awkwardly stammered about for a moment, gazed away and bit her lip, as if transforming into a completely new person. Any former sense of danger was now gone from her movements.

"Sorry, Major" said Jamie, rather quickly. "It's just that I… well, I mean, got, uh, a b-bit excited… ya know, well… I mean… uh…"

Jamie looked at AJ sheepishly. She stuck out her hand.

"Hi, I'm… uh, Jamie. Pleasure to meet you. It's an honor really to talk to someone like you and… I just, well… I can't really… um, uh… hi."

"Hi," AJ said with a slight, pleasantly confused smirk. She shook Jamie's hand, and the younger girl let out an exhilarated gasp. In one moment, the hooligan had become a puppy dog.

"I've heard so much about you," Jamie nearly gushed. "I mean, some of those things you did were _amazing_. Really, they were, and I never thought I would meet you, and it's just so… like… _ugh_! I suck at words right now. I swear, I'm not always like this."

"Hey, don't worry about it," AJ said in a very relaxed manner. With five simple words, she breathed the confidence into Jamie's body, and soothed her worries. She could feel the soldier's hand stop trembling as she let go.

"If I can interject," Rebecca said briskly. "Scoots, next time you meet someone, could you try… I don't know, _not_ running them over?"

Jamie looked away, embarrassed. "Sorry, ma'am, I just trying to… I mean, I thought maybe I would be able to…yes, ma'am. Of course." She saluted briefly, and then hurriedly changed the topic. She gestured to the vehicle. "Uh, right this way, Miss Balle. I'll drive you to the hanger—if you really still want me to, of course. I wouldn't want to—"

"Just call me, 'AJ'. And yeah, take the wheel." AJ responded calmly. Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. Rebecca pulled her aside as AJ stepped over the side and into one of the back seats. Even though their exchange was meant to be private, AJ was able to make out Rebecca commenting proudly about Jamie's "sweet" parking job, and then saw the two privately bump fists.

While AJ was glad to see that Jamie was not a terrifying creature of the night, she wasn't entirely comfortable of having a fan-girl either. Then again, she figured that it wouldn't exactly be too polite referring to Jamie as such, even though it was the most appropriate term she could think of. She supposed she would have to learn more about her before coming to conclusions, especially regarding whatever relationship she shared with Rebecca. Yet, despite Jamie's cheerful nature, one thing stood out in her mind: "I've heard so much about you." AJ did not have a particularly wonderful past. Two-thirds of her intermediate family died when she was just a child, the remaining member attempted to start a global war, anyone she was ever close to seemed to die horribly, and she was essentially kidnapped and trained for years to be a fully-functional machine of death. And, to top it all off, her entire life was wrapped up in one nice, big confidentiality folder, never to see the light of day. So, the simple question remained: what exactly was it that Jamie had heard to be so "amazing" about her life?

"Don't worry, she's gonna drive slower this time," Rebecca suddenly stated, hopping into the vehicle. AJ quickly put on a smile. She must have been giving away her concerns more than she realized. Thankfully, Rebecca seemed not to notice its reasoning.

"And we're off!" Jamie said with slight enthusiasm, speeding off towards their destination (although she drove much, much slower than she did previously). The drive was calming enough, allowing AJ to truly take in her surroundings. How many people worked here, dedicating their lives day after day to what they thought to be a noble cause? In a way, she envied them. She doubted they shared similar burdens.

"Um, ma'am—I mean, uh, AJ?" Jamie said nervously. "I was just wondering—"

"Oh God, not _now_, Scoots," Dash groaned. AJ raised an eyebrow.

"It's just… did you _really_ take down an entire army of ninja warriors?"

AJ tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"Look, I told you not to ask—"

"C'mon, Maj, I _need_ to know."

"If you're so _desperate_ to lose money, be my guest."

"Did you two make a bet or something that I need to know about?" asked AJ. Rebecca scratched her head.

"Look, all you need to do is testify that you did _indeed_ kill a bunch of ninjas. If you would kindly inform Miss Robinson here…"

"That's bull," Jamie said, shaking her head. "No way is that one hundred percent true."

"I never killed any ninjas," AJ stated honestly.

"Ha! Told you!" Jamie gloated.

"Yes, you did!" said Rebecca, clearly annoyed. "Remember? 2016? Vitrumian castle? Big throne room? Doing you-know-what to you-know-who?" AJ racked her brain for such an event. After a few moments, something finally came to mind.

"You mean those weird guys in black?" AJ wondered aloud. "Those weren't ninjas, and they're most certainly was _not_ an army of them."

"They had fuckin' katanas!" Rebecca exclaimed. "And they wore, like, spandex! How are they _not_ ninjas?!"

"Sounds like someone is a little upset they're gonna lose twenty dollars," Jamie said in a mocking, sing-song voice.

"No, listen!" Rebecca shouted. "You fought against sword-wielding, dressed-in-black _ninjas_, and beat their asses down. You are going to explain to her all of that, right now!"

AJ couldn't believe the argument that she had just fallen into. Somehow, she had gotten involved in the middle of a bet about something nearly a decade old. All she could manage to do about handling the situation was shake her head and chuckle.

"Look, I'm not saying that I couldn't fight off ninjas if the time arose," AJ said with a smirk. "But I never did, and I honestly doubt I ever will. That's all I'm saying about it."

"Yes!" Jamie said happily, thrusting one hand up in victory. She glanced backwards at Rebecca, who had rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat with an irritated frown. "I am _so_ spending that money on something you hate!"

The rest of the ride was in silence, most likely caused by Rebecca's utter lack of willingness to speak. AJ would have liked to ask Jamie some questions about herself, but, given her complete lack of social experience, was far too worried of saying something idiotic or intrusive. It hardly mattered, as they pulled inside of a large hanger mere moments later. Two guards stood by the entrance, saluting as the car pulled in. The three riders hopped out with the same lack of authority as they entered. Rebecca motioned to AJ to follow her to a set of metal stairs on the right wall, leading up to a white room. Then, just as Rebecca walked past the car, she turned around to Jamie, not bothering to stop moving.

"Scoots, thirty push-ups. Now," she said with distain present in her voice.

"What?" Jamie asked in shock. "Why do I—"

"Now, soldier!" Rebecca screamed suddenly. Jamie groaned in frustration as the Major walked up the stairs.

_Just can't let me have this one thing, can you?_ Jamie thought bitterly as she lowered herself to the floor. Unfortunately for the young soldier, no one paid much attention to her struggle. Especially not AJ, who became distracted by the room at the top of the stairs and its possession of one of the greatest inventions known to man.

"Air conditioning!" AJ said with relief as she felt the cool breeze on her face. The white room was almost like a lounge, filled with couches, tables, a vending machine, and even a small television screen. On the back wall was another door, blue in color. AJ, who had lived her life surrounded by gray, was astonished to see the blinding white walls and ceiling. To her, it meant stepping out of the past and into the future, although Rebecca hardly noticed such significance.

"Put your bag down on the couch," Rebecca said. "I got somethin' to show you."

"Is it a swimming pool, by any chance?" AJ joked. "It wouldn't surprise me…"

"Eh, a little more _robust_," claimed Rebecca, opening the far door. A small, narrow corridor laid before her, only two meters long, and yet another door waited at the end. AJ entered it with curiosity, while Rebecca leaned back against the last door.

"It better be entertaining," said AJ.

"Oh, it is. Trust me. _This_ is where all the magic happens." With that said, Rebecca slid open the door, moving alongside it. What greeted AJ's gaze had to have been the largest control room she had ever seen. To AJ, it felt more like the bridge of a starship than a military base, at least in structure. Six people sat around the elliptical room, typing away at a computer or talking on the phone, or just watching technology beep away in front of them without a care. One person (who, as it turned out, was none other than the squeaky-faced Jessie Ortunga) was playing Tetris.

And then, one-by-one, the workers turned, and saw AJ standing in the doorway. Immediately, the room went silent. All talking, typing, and game sound effects came to a halt. The wide eyes and gaping mouths made AJ sink back in her skin. She opened her mouth to say something, before Rebecca placed her hands over her lips, and sighed.

"Yes," she said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "You can meet her. No, I won't snap at you."

AJ cast a questioning glance. "What are you—"

Suddenly, the shock mutated into excitement, and AJ found herself being swarmed by raving, clamoring soldiers. She did all she could to maintain her balance. Words of joy were expelled at an unrelenting volume.

"It's really you!"

"I heard you were coming, but… I didn't think…"

"Is it true that you really saved the world from terrorists?"

"Agent Dawn! Agent Dawn right here in front of me!"

AJ smiled nervously, and then cast a look at Rebecca, who seemed _far_ too amused at her predicament. She attempted to the best of her ability to stay calm. "Uh, thanks. Thanks, I guess, but… could you all just… I mean, slow down a little—"

"Okay, that's enough of that! Shut up, now!"

It became deathly quiet once again. Despite the fact that she just screamed, Rebecca hardly seemed angry. In fact, she had the same cocky grin as before. The Major walked over to AJ, and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet AJ Balle, or as some of you know her, Dawn," Rebecca said calmly. She gestured to the crowd. "AJ, this is your support team. You already know Ortunga of communications, and Jackson of weaponry over there."

"Great to finally meet you in person, Agent Dawn," Jessie said happily. She considered a hand-shake, but was far too concerned of Rebecca cutting it off before she had the chance. Jessie Ortunga was small like a mouse, with a button nose and round, black eyes. She had obviously spent far too much time in the sun, as AJ noticed uneven tan lines around her collar, and a small burn on the side of her neck. However, she was quite knowledgeable of foreign cultures, and spoke nine languages, over half fluently.

Jackson, on the other hand, was on the far side of the room, sitting at his desk. His large, dark, meaty hands were delicately tinkering with a rifle's innards, adjusting them to perfection. He seemed to lack the same sort of enthusiasm of AJ's arrival (which she was thankful for), instead giving her only the most nonchalant of salutes possible. When it came to physical stature, Jackson outmatched all others in the room, yet he spent his time on construction and data.

The other four, however, AJ had never seen or spoken to in her entire life. All four seemed to be relatively young, and based on their cheerful nature, a tad inexperienced. However, Rebecca seemed proud (somewhat) to introduce them, as if taking responsibility for them. First was a man with a shaved head and a tight face. Stubble was patterned across his chin, and despite a tough exterior, his smile seemed genuine.

"This is Hamim Nahas," Rebecca stated. "He's a specialist on counter-terrorist operations and single-unit infiltration. He also has the best accent in the entire world."

"Thank you, ma'am," Hamim said with a laugh, bowing his head. "It is an honor to be working with you, Miss Dawn. If you ever find yourself needing assistance, I'd be happy to assist you."

"Thank you," AJ said simply. She avoided saying any more, if only so she could focus on determining the exact origin of Hamim's accent. She could only limit it down to somewhere Middle-Eastern, although the specifics of which were uncertain. At the very least, Rebecca was correct: his exotic voice was extremely pleasing to the ear.

"And this is Ruby Hart, our medical officer," Rebecca said, drawing away AJ's attention. Ruby Hart, a small, feeble woman with auburn hair and a thin face, shifted nervously on the balls of her feet.

"Hello," she said plainly.

"Aren't you a little _young_ to be a doctor?" AJ asked honestly. Hart looked away, abashed. AJ was taken aback. The last thing she wanted to do was offend someone immediately after meeting them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Nah, it's all chill," chimed in one of the last two members of the support teams.

"She doesn't talk unless you happen to be bleeding to death," said the other.

"Or start choking on something."

"Or get shot."

"And then it's not even casual conversation."

"She's just telling you how not to die. Boring."

"Flannigans, shut the fuck up!" Rebecca ordered harshly. The two men silenced, although kept bouncing around in an energetic manner. They were nearly identical; with pale faces, plank-like structure, and bright red hair. However, one had a head of hair that was shaggy and unkempt, while the other's was cropped short, only to compensate for an unnecessarily long moustache.

"Twins?" asked AJ.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Rebecca sighed. "These two fuckballs are—"

"Frankie Flannigan," said one.

"Freddie Flannigan," replied the other.

"We're your environmental specialists."

"Using satellite footage, soliton frequencies, and whatnot—"

"We've created the ultimate three-dimensional guidance system—"

"It's basically like a map in your brain—"

"Except it's us, doing cool shit—"

"Because we're both—"

"Fucking annoying, we get it," Rebecca groaned. She stepped forward, fully entering her military persona. "Now, listen up everyone. You may have noticed Commander Scarlet isn't here at the moment. Unless you're all retarded, you may have figured out by now that she's been moved to a different outpost. So, _I'm_ in charge of babysitting you fucks for a while."

The crowd collectively groaned, which Rebecca proceeded to ignore.

"You also may have noticed that my friend, Miss Balle, is a very nice lady, and her tolerance for you is probably a lot higher than mine. That being said, don't test any boundaries, because the last thing I want for any of you is to get a leg cut off by accident. So, are we all gonna be on our best behavior over the next few months?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" replied the soldiers in unison, straightening their posture and raising their arms in salute.

"Great," Rebecca said with a devious smirk. "By the way, since you seemed so _pleased_ that I'm gonna be hanging with you guys for a while, you all get to run five laps around the base!"

"Um… don't we have to—"

"No! You don't!" Rebecca ordered, much harsher than before. "Now, get moving, worms!"

With another collective groan, the five jogged out of the room, pushing past AJ with little care. They did not speak among themselves, only focused on the depressing work that would consume their next hour. Rebecca, however, felt extremely pleased with herself. She turned towards AJ.

"Man, I fucking _love_ this job," she said with a sigh.

"I can see that," AJ said somewhat nervously, as if she feared Rebecca would snap at her at any moment. "You've really grown into this for someone who hates authority."

"Yeah, well… what can you say?" Rebecca quickly changed topics. "Anyway, you want to get some lunch? There's this great Mediterranean place a few miles down from here."

"I just got here, Dash. I wanted to look around a little before I left."

"Come on, you'll get plenty of time for that later. _We_ have shit to catch up on. I'd for one like to know what hole you've been rotting in for the past millennium."

AJ sighed reluctantly. "Alright, we'll eat. But then I want to get back and look around."

"The day's young. You got time." Rebecca and AJ walked towards the exit, smiling to themselves. At that moment, Jamie burst through the door, a thin layer of sweat glossing her forehead.

"Push-ups are done," she reported. "Maj, I swear to God, you're going to give me my money, or else—hey, where is everyone? And where are you two going?"

"Scoots, twenty sit-ups," Rebecca ordered as she passed by. She spoke with such disinterest that Jamie doubted if she even cared at all.

"Oh, come on! You can't just—"

"_Now_, soldier. That's an order."

The door closed behind them, leaving Jamie alone in the room. Jackson continued to be preoccupied with his weaponry to notice what was going on around him. Jamie looked desperately at the door, calling to it for answers. She knew Major Dawson wouldn't know if she did the sit-ups. She knew Major Dawson didn't care. She knew she had every right in the world not to do sit-ups if she so pleased.

"Dammit," she swore under her breath. With a sigh of disappointment, she lied down on her back, and began to count to twenty.

* * *

><p><em><strong>International News Broadcast: Breaking The Latest Top Stories<strong>_

_**A Star in Chains:**__** Acclaimed pop artist Ricky Swuar was arrested in his Malibu home late last night by the local authorities. Swuar, who's single "Make You Mine", has been topping the pop charts for the past month, was caught with possession of several ounces worth of powdered cocaine. He was held overnight at the Malibu Police Station, and was recently released on bail. Swuar's fans, who were distraught to hear of his arrest, took to the streets outside of the station to demand his immediate release. "It's his life, and he deserves to do what he wants," said one of his many young fans in an interview. "We shouldn't bash him, it's his own business and people need to learn to stay out of it." Neither Swuar nor his agency has commented on the recent activities.**_

_**Uniting for Peace:**__** As tensions rapidly grow in the Middle East, several members of the scientific community have taken it upon themselves to be symbols for peace. An estimated one hundred doctors, engineers, researchers, and more have organized a several day-long gathering at Tahrir Square in Cairo to show their support for the ever-growing "Long Rest of the Desert" campaign. Dr. Robert Klein is the head of the committee, and the main organizer of the gathering. "I believe that this region has reached a point where it may never regain balance naturally," said Dr. Klein. Every member was encouraged to bring along their latest advancements in technology. Klein hopes this will bring out mutual respect for the community and its offerings among the region. "My reason for starting this idea was to basically suggest, 'Hey! We have the power to change the minds of these people if we want. Why not help out? Isn't that our jobs to help those in need?' That was really my whole purpose." The expo is expected to last for four days, although the Egyptian government has released a request to limit its length to do possible security risks.**_

_**Diet Breakthrough:**__** At long last, a new, permanent way to lose weight! Everyone always says the same thing: eat healthy and exercise hard. Problem is: we don't have time for that anymore! This is the twenty-first century. With all of the latest advancements in technology, it may be hard to find the proper time for working out each and every day. And despite doctors always stressing healthy eating, we all know how hard it is to stay away from those tasty treats. That is why the researchers at ALQI have created what they call the world's first miracle drug: Pondamum! This simple pill, when taken once per day, has been recorded to provide drastic weight loss over just a three week period. With limited side effects and an easily-gained prescription, Pondamum can make anyone look like a superstar in no time! **_

_**Remembering An Icon:**__** Warren Trinket, who was considered by many to be one of the great movie stars of the past century, has passed away this last weekend at age 93 in his residence in Hollywood. He was found by his wife Lucy on his floor, and was rushed to the hospital, where he was reported dead. Trinket will always be remembered dearly by many for his starring roles in "Upon a Cherry Hill", "Rosebud" and his Oscar-winning performance as Dr. Matthews in "The Splendid World in which Kerry Dwells". Fans of all ages took to social media to show their respect for one of the great acting legends, and mourn his loss. His funeral will be broadcasted live, to allow the world to give their final goodbyes. A warm face in the bitter world of stardom, Warren Trinket will surely be missed by many.**_

* * *

><p>"Scoots?" AJ asked with mild curiosity.<p>

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's just… I mean, why Scoots?" AJ peered out the large window of the restaurant. The overly crowded beach occasionally drifted onto the pier, dispersing waves of bubbly young adults over the various shops. She took another sip of her club soda, and waited patiently for her specialty chicken.

"You know how I give nicknames to people I like?" Rebecca explained.

"The only person I've ever known that you've given a nickname to is Tara," AJ said. "And that was out of respite."

"But it _eventually_ turned into respect. Anyway, Jamie's my protégé, so I gave her the name. Plus, she calls me 'Maj', so we both get to avoid formal military proceedings a little. It's fun."

"Three things. First: why haven't you given _me_ a nickname? Second: I still don't get the 'Scoots' name. And third: are you allowed to have a protégé?"

"Yeah, why not?" Rebecca shrugged. "She looks up to me… I think. We help each other out, and it's good to have a friend. Besides, she's totally cool with it. And what the hell are you complaining about? You already _have_ a nickname! Do you want me to start calling you 'Algeria' or whatever the fuck your name is?"

"Anna."

"Yeah, I'm not doing that," Rebecca stated confidently.

"Am I still supposed to call you 'Dash'?" AJ asked. Once more, Rebecca shrugged away the question.

"I haven't been called that in a long time," Rebecca said, somewhat somberly. Dash, the name she wore as a shield for almost entire life, was long gone. Boot camp had eliminated it many years ago. All that name ever brought her were memories of a bitter street life, a forgotten family, and a cold grave. She had just broken her record. It had been nearly two years since she last thought of those memories, her longest time yet. Soon, the bitterness would come again, all brought about by the utterance of a single name.

Sensing her uneasiness, AJ quickly changed the subject. "So, what's it like here in LA? You haven't gotten lost in the glamor, have you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Rebecca asked with a smirk. She pointed out the window. "I live ten miles from the beach. I pay zero taxes, sunbathe all day, which I don't even _like_, then I get to order people around to get me a bunch of crazy food like _this stuff_. I've met about five celebrities, four of which I hate, I get to swim in the ocean, and I am constantly surrounded by the most beautiful people in the entire world. I think this may be the _worst_ place in the entire world, and I _love_ it. Does that make sense to you?"

"Not really," AJ spoke honestly.

"What would you know, anyway?" Rebecca said, half-insultingly. For her next few words, she put on a southern accent (which, although AJ hated to admit it, was far improved than nine years prior). "Y'all got's to live on a farm and sell 'em apples 'n oranges to get some fancy dolla's for more apples 'n oranges. What would y'all know about us 'high society-types' anyhow? We all must be _so_ crazy not livin' a simple life…"

AJ paused for a moment. "You don't actually think I live on a farm, do you? I don't even know _how_ to farm."

"You owned a rancher's hat," Rebecca stated. "I expect at least _some_ basic training to be given to you when you're wearing that."

"Sorry, but they must of left that out of my 'how-to-violently-murder-people' handbook," AJ said snidely. She was suddenly reminded of something that had struck her odd a few hours earlier, a question that puzzled her. She had some faith in her old friend, but if her assumption had proven true, then she had no idea how to react.

"Something wrong?" asked Rebecca. AJ eyed her attentively.

"Dash—Rebecca," AJ said. "Jamie sure seemed to know a lot about our trip to Vitrumia… including some _confidential_ information regarding the king's royal guard, that only a few select people in the world know… yourself included." Rebecca froze in place. Her eyes darted about nervously.

"Uh… yeah…"

"When I first came back, I was immediately regarded as a 'legend'. I find that a bit peculiar, considering that I don't recall telling _anyone_ what I've done in my past, at least no souls left alive today."

"Uh-huh…"

"And just now, a swarm of fans met me with more enthusiasm than a five year-old on Christmas. I wanted to return without any suspicious activity, _especially_ not having anyone even care that I existed. Yet somehow, I've become the most famous soldier since the man who killed Bin Laden."

"Heh heh… funny how things like that work out—"

AJ reached out, and wrapped a fist around Rebecca's hand. Their eyes met for several seconds. AJ's were dead, staring coldly into her counterpart's. Rebecca could not recall ever seeing AJ so intensely focused on something so insignificant before. Her skin shivered.

"Rebecca," AJ said sternly. "I'm going to give you this one chance to answer honestly. What the _hell_ did you say about me?"

Rebecca stuttered her words. She hardly wanted to admit the truth, mostly out of fear of what AJ might have done to her. At least, in the back of her mind, she was fairly confident that she could defend herself if the need arose. AJ was rusty, she told herself. She had more proper training. However, the events of the past rang fresh in her mind, and she would rather not risk a confrontation.

"Okay, you see," Rebecca said, her voice quivering and unsure. "A few years ago, there were some… _things_ going on. And a lot of kind of boring things happened... something or other with an assassination attempt on my life—"

"Spit. It. Out."

"Ugh… look, I order to get some things straightened out," Rebecca admitted. "I may have… sorta… told some people about a few of our adventures in P.O.N.Y."

AJ's eyes went wide. In some ways, she was expecting the answer. It was the only logical conclusion to reach. However, as she began to realize the full consequences of Rebecca's actions, she understood just how problematic things had become. The Police Operative and Nonpareil Youths initiative was an experimental, top-secret military operation. Its purpose was to determine the effectiveness the capabilities of younger soldiers under high pressure situations, under the hypothesis that their more youthful, imaginative minds would allow them to react and learn faster than the average soldier. However, over the course of several months, repeated acts of underwhelming activity and very poor decisions on behalf of the soldiers, the nature of P.O.N.Y's existence came into question. And, with the death of the team's field leader, Tara Sullivan, the operation was quickly disbanded, never to be brought out from beneath the shadows.

So, the fact that any information _at all_ was leaked about this made AJ feel rather unpleasant.

"Do you have _any_ idea what you've done?" AJ asked furiously. She focused on holding back her voice, lest others in the restaurant hear her. "Each and every one of those assignments we went on are confidential. Not only do we not have the _right_ to talk about them, but as far as the world knows, they don't even exist. If you actually told people what had happened—"

"Whoa, calm down for a second," Rebecca said defensively. "It's not like I told them _everything_. I know better than that from spy movies—last thing I wanted was to end up in FBI interrogation room with a paper bag over my head. So, I kinda just… told a few details."

"Like _what_?" AJ asked skeptically.

"I only talked about some of the missions we went involving other countries, for starters," Rebecca explained. "Plus, I never talked about anyone _really_ aside from just the two of us… and Pinky, a bit, but only because—"

"Rebecca," AJ said through gritted teeth. "What did you say about _me_?"

"I _just_ told people some of the cool things I saw you do. I never talked about your personal life, or mentioned what you were like as a person. For all anybody knows, we were a couple of new recruits in a few tours around Afghanistan, and after a few years, went on some black-ops. As adults. There's no problem with any of that in the law. Hell, the only thing it probably did is make you seem like a myth rather than a person, which isn't _too_ horrible, since you don't like to talk to people anyway."

"I don't think you fully understand the consequences here. Now, we're both stuck in this little web you created with no way out. What if someone gets curious and tries to research us? What if some parts of the truth actually _do_ get out?"

"They won't" Rebecca reassured her. "Trust me; I'm used to building lies in the past. This will all turn out fine."

AJ sighed. "Lies have a very intricate way of working themselves back around, Rebecca," she stated gloomily. "Let's hope for both our sake that it never does."

The sat together in silence afterwards. Rebecca, in some respects, felt guilty. She hated feeling guilty about anything, because that meant admitting that she had done something wrong. Again. Ever since she became a soldier, she had made a conscious effort to do her best despite the circumstances, and actually care about the impact of her actions. Her mind automatically shifted in order to make the best out of the situation. On the bright side, she realized, if she had never lied about AJ or herself, her comrades would have grown dangerously suspicious of several of her sudden promotions over the course of her service. Then again, she _had_ specifically gone against her friend's wishes, and manipulated her for her own gain. Ten years ago, that would have sat well with her. But now, it made her feel rotten inside.

A woman eventually came with their food. She settled them down onto the table with a bright smile. "Here you are, Miss Dawson. Same as always."

"Thanks, Mary," Rebecca said with a half-smile. "It's good to see you again."

"It's so nice of you to remember to stop by so often. And always with new company too."

"It's a good place. I like to bring in friends when their around. AJ, this is Mary, the owner/waitress. Mary, this is my good friend, AJ."

"Hi," AJ said simply.

"It's so nice to meet friends of Rebecca. She's such a sweet girl."

"Uh, thanks," Rebecca said, slightly uncomfortable. She had never thought to use the word "sweet" to define herself before. Sweet things were candy, and girl scouts, and rainbows. Rebecca Dawson was anything but sweet.

"Say, when are you ever going to bring around that one girl again? Remember, from the winter all that long ago? She was such a nice lady."

Rebecca's smile faded for a moment, before being hurriedly re-plastered onto her face. Mary never seemed to notice.

"Uh… she's not really from around here," Rebecca said nervously, trying to hide her discomfort. "Maybe sometime in the future, if possible. I… I don't really know."

"Alright then," Mary said, blissful as can be. "Enjoy your food." She left the table, and returned to the depths of the restaurant. AJ passively watched her leave, and then turned back to Rebecca. Her friend had immediately gone cold, refusing to look AJ in the eyes. Instead, she just stared at her plate, sadness in her eyes.

"Who was she talking about?" AJ asked curiously. "I didn't know you brought people here often. I actually thought I was special…"

"I don't," Rebecca shrugged. "Just close friends."

"Then who was she talking about? Jamie? A past training partner? Some other military girl I don't know about?"

Rebecca shook her head. She was in no mood to talk about. The second she even said that taboo name, it would just make everything worse. Unfortunately, AJ kept pestering her about it, bringing up any random name she could think of to solve the Pandora's Box of all puzzles. Rebecca knew there would be no way around it. If AJ truly wanted the answer, she had the responsibility to let her know.

"By winter, she was talking about December of 2018," she explained slowly. AJ stared at her, unblinking. "We were… we were actually sitting at this same table. I've been able to remember almost everything from that day. She as vacationing here, and I invited her to have a meal for the day. That was… that was the last time I ever saw _her_."

It took AJ a few seconds to realize exactly who Rebecca was referring to. And then, the news hit her like a load of bricks. Her eyes went wide, her arms went stiff, and she became unable to form words. _Her_. Any mention of _her_ sent shockwaves into her heart. She could withstand plenty in life. She could deal with her brutal childhood, the loss of her mother, her sister, her father, even Tara while maintaining her composure. She had grown numb to all of that. However, it was once mention of _her_ from a broken voice in the middle of a dark night that sent her curling up in her sheets, painfully reminded of her own mortality. Many years ago, people used _her_ as an example of an ideal individual, someone everyone should have tried to become through _her_ sheer compassion and integrity. But now, the only mention of _her_ was to be used as a reminder of the cruelty and wickedness of the world in which they lived, a painful symbol of what could happen to any of them at any given moment. Once a friend, _her_ legacy had become a broken tragedy of the ticking lifespan of humanity.

And so, Rebecca, no matter how hard she tried, could not let that memory go. Every now and again, her thoughts would wander back to that last, fateful encounter with _her_, before the end.

* * *

><p><em>Fiona took another sip of orange juice through her straw. Dash examined her quizzically. Her friend wasn't bundled up<em> _a wool sweater, nor was she hiding her face behind a clump of hair. Instead, she was wearing shorts and a tank top, her hair kept under control by a purple beanie. She had been smiling pleasantly since her arrival; despite nothing particularly enjoyable had been said. She spoke before Dash had a chance to ask her about it._

"_What's wrong?" she asked, growing concerned. "Do I have something on my face?"_

"_Actually, yeah," Dash said. "A fucking smile."_

"_Oh… is that a problem?"_

"_Not really. I've just… don't recall seeing you smile that often."_

"_Well," Fiona explained happily, taking a bite of her salad. "I've been a lot happier recently. Things are going pretty well for once. It's kind of weird."_

"_Okay," Dash said with a shrug. A wicked thought suddenly entered her mind. She raised her glass to her lips, a sly smile on her lips. Just before she took a sip, she said, "So, I'm taking your sex-life is wonderful, then?"_

_Dash calmly watched Fiona through her glass, waiting for the comment to reach her. She knew Fiona a bit too well from living with her for several months. She prepared for the hilarity of Fiona's embarrassed reaction (which hopefully didn't involve her accidently choking to death). _

"_Oh yeah, it's a lot better than yours," Fiona said without hesitation. Dash barely managed to finish her drink without spitting it all over the table. Fiona barely managed to hold back giggles._

"_What the hell did you just… what?" Dash said in shock. Fiona laughed at the sight of her perplexed companion._

"_You do realize I'm dating a magician, right?" she said. "I'm practically expecting things like that all the time nowadays. It's not so easy to get something past me anymore."_

"_Damn, that's… disappointing," Dash sighed. "There were so many good opportunities available. Chalk it up to another thing ruined by marriage, or life-partnering, or… whatever the hell it is you do."_

"_Dating," Fiona stated simply. "And you can still make those jokes, if you really want to. I'd love to hear them."_

"_I'll pass. It kinda ruins the fun when the other person is expecting to be made fun of."_

"_Sorry."_

"_Eh, at the very least, you still apologize too often. Glad that hasn't been tainted by 'the power of love'. Seriously though, how is everything working between you two?"_

"_Oh, it's great. I mean, really great. I don't even know how to describe it. It's just… I don't know… nice having someone around all the time, someone to rely on, you know? Plus, it's given me plenty of chances to come out of my shell a little. I've tried more new things in the past few years than I have my entire life."_

"_I can see," Dash commented. "You look like someone who's been splashed in the face by a big bucket of every hipster movement in the world."_

"_Yeah, I guess I do… a bit," Fiona said with a laugh, looking at herself. She never would have chosen the attire herself. Trixie had made her by several sets of new clothing before leaving on vacation. Trixie had said she did not want to drag around someone who looked like a "bundled snowman". The thought made Fiona suddenly feel somber._

"_What's wrong?" asked Dash._

"_Nothing," Fiona said softly. "I just wish Trixie could have come with us. You two would have gotten along great together."_

"_I thought you said she was busy?"_

"_She really wanted to go visit the Hollywood sign. I couldn't just say no to her. She gave me puppy dog eyes… and she's really manipulative," Fiona explained, although sounded more proud than insulting. Without even realizing it, she began describing everything she could think of about her lover. "Don't get me wrong. She can be a bit bossy sometimes, and rude, and not really there with social situations—I mean, neither am I—but she cares so much deep down, and is really wise about some things, and is always trustworthy and reliable… she's a bit like you, now that I think about it."_

_The words hung over the table for several seconds before Fiona realized the connotations she reaching towards. Dash simply stared at her with an emotionless expression, watching Fiona start to panic before her in a desperate attempt to clear suspicion._

"_Fiona…"_

"_No, wait! I didn't mean—"_

"_If there's something you've been wanting to tell me…"_

"_I'm not trying to say—"_

"_I'll accept you as a friend no matter how you feel about me…"_

"_I'm not in love with you!"_

"_Sometimes, our heart doesn't know what it wants…"_

_Fiona groaned, and planted her head against the table. She rested it in her arms for several seconds, before taking a deep breath and leaning up. She saw an amused smile plastered on Dash's face._

"_You're the worst, Rebecca," Fiona stated with pretend disgust._

"_I know," Dash said with a satisfied sigh. "You're lucky Trixie isn't here right now. Otherwise, I would have already stolen her away from you with my amazing charm and witty personality."_

_Fiona couldn't help but smile. "Trust me. When it comes to charm, compared to her on a good night, that is certainly one thing you do not have in common."_

* * *

><p>There was a prolonged, uncomfortable silence that followed. AJ refused to eat anything off of her plate. Rebecca wished she had never brought it up. Why hadn't she simply <em>lied<em>? Lying was so much easier, especially for her. Now AJ would probably make an excuse to leave early, sleep for the rest of the day, and ruin everything. It wasn't entirely fair of AJ to act like that, Rebecca realized. How dare _she_ take those memories so close to heart? How dare she allow herself to be shook by the past? It wasn't as if they had been an inseparable team. They were just companions united by a similar cause, who had barely spoken for three years before the "incident". And even then, it had been _six years_. They all should have been comfortable talking about it, instead of bottling it up inside.

Rebecca sighed. Who was she kidding? She was not comfortable taking about it, either.

"So, speaking of unexpected things," she said, half-jokingly. "Why did you come back?"

AJ stayed quiet for a long moment. "It was just… something I needed to do."

"That's still not an answer," sighed Rebecca. "Look, can you lighten up a bit? You're on a beach, eating exotic food with your best-friend, living the dream. At least smile a bit, will ya?"

AJ glanced away. She observed a young couple pass by just outside the restaurant. They were wearing wide smiles, and holding each other close. They looked so _young_ to her, so ignorant of how cruel the world could be sometimes. She looked back at Rebecca, who pleaded with her hands clasped together. The sight of Rebecca practically groveling at her feet was too amusing not to smile at.

"You really know how to beg people," said AJ.

"Yeah, well. When you work in the armed forces, you learn how to sway people. Anyway, you gonna tell me why you left retirement now?"

"Maybe later. It's not really important."

"It is to me," Rebeca sighed. Suddenly, her pocket began to vibrate wildly. She groaned; nothing bothered her more than being interrupted in the middle of something important. She clicked on her phone, and saw three text messages from Jamie clumped together.

_turn to INB now! u gotta see this_

_better get back here soon. _

_are u seeing this right now? omg this is bad_

Rebecca instantly became panicked. She called out to Mary in a hurry."Can you turn that TV onto INB? It's something big." Without a moment's hesitation, Mary walked around to a counter in the back, grabbed a small, black rectangle, and pointed it towards the television. The old box flickered to life, displaying a children's variety show featuring an assortment of chickens, cows and pigs. Mary flipped through to Channel 12, home of International News Broadcast. The destruction was immediately evident: a video of a burning building was being shown, black smoke pluming out of the top. In large white words at the bottom of the screen, it read: "CRISIS ESCALATES: EGYPT BROUGHT INTO WAR".

"…and the second barrage of missiles landed just minutes ago in Cairo," reported one of the anchors off-screen. "An hour ago, the "Firman Allah Alliance" declared war upon the democratic nation of Egypt. This is only the latest in a series of conflicts brought about by the Alliance, including the recent raids for territory in Saudi Arabia. Of course, this has brought about disastrous implications for the scientific expedition currently being held in Tehrir Square. We have yet to receive reports…"

The rest of the words flew by AJ without impact. She had to admit that, ever since her retirement, she had failed to keep up with current events. Wars in other countries were uninteresting and unimportant. Not even her own country's politics seemed relevant to her. However, based on the look of concerned on Rebecca's face, she began to fear that Egypt's problems were about to become her own.

"We need to leave," Rebecca stated, rising from the table. "Come on. We're having an emergency briefing.

"What's wrong?" AJ asked, already having a sense of what was about to happen. "I thought you said we were going to relax for a while."

"That was before the possibility of an international crisis arose. I hate to break this to you AJ, but you're going to have to put off that nap of yours for a while."

* * *

><p>Doctor Hart pressed another cold piece of metal to AJ's bare back. She shuddered against the cool sensation. Her "check-up" occurred in near darkness, with only a small flashlight to guide Hart through her procedures. Rebecca paced back and forth in front of a large projector, showing a map of Northern Africa. Only six hours had passed since her arrival, and she was back in the swing of things. It was the first time AJ had ever been in an official military briefing, and she was beginning to detest it. She couldn't tell whether it was caused by the cramped room, her being stripped to her underwear, the strict formalities, or a combination of all three. It made her wonder why she even bothered to return.<p>

"This is the primary source of all of our problems for the past three-four years," Rebecca explained. "These countries over here are Libya, Gaza, and Palestine. After several years of political corruption and failed democratic stability, a legion of extremists took power, and united their cause to wipe out all Western ways of life."

"Shouldn't we have taken care of that already?" asked AJ. "I mean, why not just declare war, drop a few bombs, and get it over with?"

"I'd like to say we're all just pussies about it, but it's complicated. _Really_ complicated. Most of the country is made up of innocent civilians, and a lot of extremists group together in heavily populated areas. No one is willing to endanger that many lives. Not to mention, every humanitarian society in existence will be up our asses for decades. It's like destroying the ecosystem of the entire Atlantic Ocean just to wipe out all of the sharks. Doesn't it just make you wish the good old days when we could just declare war on Germany and nuke their asses?"

"Didn't we nuke—"

"Japan, I know. Trust me, I know. Anyway, it's not important."

"Than what _is_ important?" AJ asked impatiently. Hart was currently examining the many scars on her chest and stomach, which only made AJ feel more uncomfortable. "These kinds of conflicts have been going on for years, as you said. I may not know everything, but I do know about soldiers touring nearly every damn one of these countries for several years a piece. Shouldn't Cairo be relatively well-protected?"

"A peace treaty was signed by the United Nations that stated no soldiers would be sent forth in any region of Egypt during the current crisis. People are afraid that, given the ongoing Israeli conflict nearby, and Egypt's agreement of joint peace; it could mean the world is preparing for a third World War. No wants to think about that many soldiers dying. Anyway, that's not why this is so important."

The projector flipped, showing a photograph of a middle-aged man, with large spectacles and balding, gray hair. "This man is Robert Klein, a medical researcher that has been under contract with the federal government. You haven't heard of "Long Rest of the Desert", have you?"

"You mean that big gathering of the scientists going on right now?"

"Yeah, in _Cairo_. See where the problem is?"

AJ shrugged. She still had no idea why it was relevant to her. Granted, it was a shame that people who only strove towards peace were put in harm's way, yet she had no idea how she was supposed to help. There were reportedly one hundred scientists gathering in Tehrir Square, and she was one person, albeit very skilled. What could she possibly do to help?

"Why not send in the army to evac the scientists?" AJ asked simply. Hart now moved on to taking a needle out of her coat pocket, and unexpectedly injecting something into AJ's arm. The soldier instantly recoiled away, fighting the urge to let out a panicked strike. Hart jumped back in fear, to which AJ growled, "Don't _ever_ do that without warning me again. Who knows what the hell you're planting inside of me."

"Stamina boosters: nothing you need to be concerned about," Rebecca said, rubbing her forehead irritatingly. "Now, will you please shut up for a moment so I can finish this up?" AJ looked bitterly at Doctor Hart, although she said nothing more. Very cautiously, the doctor resumed her medical evaluation.

"Here's the thing: seven of the people who attended this gathering have all shared a government contract at one time or another. I don't have a list of names, but that was what I was informed. Each person was instructed to bring along what they believed were the latest advancements in their field. And, from what I've been told, _someone_ brought along this…"

The image changed again, revealing an image of a large, black, steel crate. It seemed almost sturdy enough to support from artillery fire.

"What's in that?"

"I'm… not really sure," Rebecca admitted. AJ stared quizzically at her.

"You mean you haven't been given full disclosure on this operation you're supposed to be _heading_?"

"You try working up the food chain for once, huh?" Rebecca said snidely. "Look, I hate to say this, but… it doesn't matter how many scientists you save. In fact, their safety is secondary. Your primary objective is to secure the position of _that_ package, and acquire it for pick-up."

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm supposed to ignore people who might need my help?" AJ asked angrily. "I didn't come back to help the government, ya know."

"It's not like that," Rebecca assured, although AJ could tell that she was mostly lying. "By now, the police have probably evacuated the scientists to somewhere safe from the bombings. More likely than not, their equipment was left behind. Our intel has shown a clear pattern, that within twenty-four hours after firing missiles into a nation, Firman Allah, launches large raids into the civilian occupied space. All you need to do is make sure that tech—whatever it may be—doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

AJ sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Are you sure about that? I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Look AJ, this is what needs to be done. I know you don't have the strongest relationship with us—"

"I'm not particularly fond of how you refer to the government as 'us', either," AJ said. Rebecca mentally slapped herself. She wanted to physically slap herself as well. Of all of the unfortunate quirks that came from heading military divisions, she had to be stuck with authoritarian speech. She pointed at Doctor Hart.

"Leave the room," she ordered sternly.

"But I haven't finished—"

"Now, soldier!"

Hart looked nervously at Rebecca, and then quickly fled the room. For a moment, a gleaming, hopeful ray of life flooded the chamber, before plunging the two soldiers back into darkness. Rebecca began to unbutton her uniform. Her heavy, green jacket slipped off her shoulders and fell to a clump on the cold ground. She flexed her arms back, allowing her muscles a chance to breathe. AJ eyed her carefully as she walked forward, and leaned her hands against AJ's bare thighs.

"I want to make something perfectly clear," Rebecca said softly, focusing on AJ's eyes. "I hate those people. That _thing_ you were part of was a black-listed, fucked-up, barebones, secretive, possessive, full-of-shit pile of freaks. They were more untrustworthy than a coil of fucking rattlesnakes. _I_ am not one of them. I get your used to doubting things, and I would probably doubt shit too in this scenario. But I can assure you: I will _never_ lead you into harm if I can. I am swearing to a God I don't believe you to tell you that we are doing the right thing. This group—no, these _assholes_—need to be dealt with. I've seen what they can do with the limited tech they have their hands on, and that's kill a lot of innocent people. Look, I don't care if that case holds a nuke, or a deadly virus, or a fucking cure for cancer—we are _not_ letting them get anything else. I don't mind that you don't trust the people giving you this mission, but at least trust _me_… your friend. Can you do that?"

AJ tried to look past Rebecca's plea for something darker, but there was nothing to find. She was, as far as AJ knew, sincere in her words. It was rare for AJ to say she had a friend, even more so to say that someone understood her. Most people she cared about ended up dead; it was her everlasting curse. People who knew of her never saw past their own exaggerations and myths. Yet Rebecca knew what she was like. They had been through the ringer together, and managed to come out alive, for better or worse. Even though times had changed, it was awfully nice to find a kindred spirit.

"You said… twenty-four hours, right?" AJ asked with a small grin. "That means we gotta leave by tonight, correct? It's a long flight to Cairo."

"That's my girl," Rebecca said, patting AJ on the head. "But haven't you forgotten? It's been nine years since you've been gone. We got _plenty_ of new toys for you to play with."

"You wouldn't suppose one of those would get me to Cairo in—"

"Eight hours? Yeah, I know. You don't have to say it: It's awesome. Then there's the guns, the grenades, the cars, the chicks. Fun stuff."

"Sounds like a ball," AJ joked. "Hey Rebecca, you wouldn't happen to know of any tattoo parlors around here, would you?"

Rebecca raised an eyebrow with amusement. "There's one down on the harbor. Why'd you ask?"

"Just figured," AJ said simply. "I've had something in my mind that I've wanted to get done. I'm about to dive straight into a warzone, after all. Can't think of a better time to do it."

**Mission Briefing: Complete**

* * *

><p><strong>Note: We at GodSaveTheKings greatly appreciate any and all feedback, so feel free to comment on the story. Everything we receive exponentially helps the writing process.<strong>


	3. Act I: Storm in the Desert (Part 1)

**Act I: Storm in the Desert**

**Operation: Lost Dog**

**08 June, 2025**

**Cairo, Egypt**

Miraculously, AJ felt comfortable in the B8-NSWCH. Due to its nature as a hybrid helicopter-jet prototype, the ride inside felt incredibly fluent. Even its cramped nature was nothing compared to the tremendous velocity that overcame her. It was almost as if she was defying gravity itself. Unfortunately, the voices in her head cut off her brief moment of joy.

"You look like a fucking idiot from here," Rebecca stated with glee in her voice. AJ groaned.

"How would you know?"

"I'm not sure if you've forgotten already, but there's a fully-rotational high-definition camera attached to your boob," Rebecca added. "There's also one on your scope and another on the bottom of your boot. All of your progress is being monitored like a… stalker looking at a teenage girl through his window."

"That's really the best analogy you could come up with?" AJ asked, shaking her head.

"Shut up and get ready for infiltration, will ya? You're approaching the drop zone hot."

"Already? I've barely made it halfway there. It's an eighteen hour flight—"

"If you're not riding in experimental military technology that was borrowed from the United States Air Force's research division," Rebecca corrected her. "Then, I'd recommend you'd check over your gear and stop making small talk."

AJ sighed happily, and looked over her gear. She wore a tan bodysuit, sleeves cut short above the elbow, and black combat boots. Her belt wrapped twice around her left shoulder, providing plenty of spots to store weaponry. A set of high-powered binoculars rested on her forehead, pushing her hair down tightly against her scalp. Although the suit was nearly skin-tight, a red muffler was shoved into her collar, to provide protection from dust and other small particles. In the center of the binoculars and just above her left lung were two black orbs, protected by bulletproof lenses. It was through these that she was constantly being watched, so she gave a quick thumbs up towards the one on her chest.

"Whoa, sweet tats," she heard Jamie say in the background. "When did you get those?"

"Right before I left," AJ said with a smile. "Ya like 'em?"

"Makes me wish I had some," Jamie said, her voice trailing off.

"I thought you weren't allowed to have tattoos in your religion?" Rebecca thought aloud. "Wouldn't a priest come to your house and stab you to death with a cross."

"I'm pretty sure that's Judaism," Jamie corrected her. She added silently," And a priest wouldn't kill me… my _mom_ would."

The tattoo in question was the only alteration that AJ had willing performed to her body. Ever since she had made up her mind about returning, she decided she wanted to make a statement with it. Perhaps, subconsciously, she wished to prove that she had control of her life for once. She no longer had anything to conform to other than the most basic of military protocol. In her mind, if she was going to fight once again, she would do in the way _she_ wanted, not some faulty government wanted. It was in that, that the tattoo was grafted forever to her skin: a reminder of what was to be remembered, and a reminder of what was to come. Several thick, spiky vines traced their way up and down her right arm. Along her biceps, three bright red roses bloomed from her flesh. On her lower forearm, another two roses were present, and although they were equally as luscious, they had been dyed black with time. The vines finally came to an end on the back of her right hand, where one single, grey rose laid hidden beneath a leather glove.

"Miss Balle, if I may interrupt?" said Hamim suddenly. AJ shook herself out of her trance.

"Yeah. Somethin' wrong?"

"No, it's just a word of warning," explained Hamim. "As you are aware, members of the FA Alliance have infiltrated Cairo by the hundreds. Those are your high priority targets, of course, but I would recommend that you avoid all unnecessary contact with them. It's not that I support them in any way, but it is important for you to note that they greatly outnumber you. Your talents can only get you so far. Also, Cairo has transformed into a military state. Most of the civilians have been transported away, or are hiding in bunkers; they should not be the problem. However, the national military may not take so kindly to your presence."

"What the hell did I ever do to offend them?" asked AJ, half-joking.

"Remember those series of international conflicts with Egypt I mentioned before?" Rebecca chimed in. "Foreign powers aren't allowed to interfere in Egyptian territory. Given how the president has yet to sign any regulations on this matter yet, you're pretty much breaking international law by stepping foot on their sand. It also means that we can't send in any back-up if the shit hits the fan, so you're on your own."

"Trust me, Rebecca," AJ said confidently. "I _know_ that I can work on my own. Last time I checked—"

"I get it, I get it," Rebecca groaned loudly. "Look, just try not to get caught. If you get found by either side, you'll probably end up beaten and raped, or beaten and thrown in maximum security prison. And don't show off either! I know you can take down a room of ten or twenty thugs, but please _don't_ try to challenge a global army. It'd really suck if you died."

"I appreciate the honesty," said AJ nonchalantly. She gave a quick check over her weapons, which thankfully, Jackson had managed to give her details on _before_ she began the operation. Jackson had told her that she was given anything and everything she would need to accomplish her goal efficiently. She had a high-density shotgun strapped to her back, designed to eliminate multiple targets with thrity-five simultaneous, wide-spread concussing shots. On her sides were two standard-issue M1911 pistols, which she had swapped in to replace the V-8 SMART pistol assigned to her instead. Rebecca had given her a machete blade as well, which Rebecca said was due to her "awesomeness" with the weapon. Jackson had also provided her with several accessories, including a flash bomb, several sonic grenades, a carbon-fiber "Anchor" (which took forever for AJ to realize was simply a more sophisticated grappling hook), an emergency medical supply pouch, and a small, green bag, only six inches across and three inches deep. It had a black, sticky panel on the back side, and a pin on the front to keep its contents concealed. Of this, AJ barely had a clue what to do with it, except that she was supposed to stick it onto the package and remove the pin. Somehow, that would retrieve the package for her, although the details were sketchy.

Suddenly, the smooth flow of the chopper came to a grinding halt. AJ practically flew off of her seat, but managed to firmly plant her hands down and keep her balance. A few seconds later, the vehicle began to move again, except this time, it felt more like a tattering stutter than a seamless stream. AJ soon realized that it actually felt like flying in a helicopter for once, which unfortunately triggered the claustrophobic section of her mind.

"You're approaching the drop zone," Rebecca informed her. "Get that hatch open, and be prepared for the drop." At that moment, the side of the dull brown interior split open and slid away. Light came pouring into the room, and AJ had to shield her eyes from its intensity. When she adjusted to the light, she got her first glimpse at the chaos going on around her. Leaning out of the newly opened doorway, she cast her eyes towards the ground. Vehicles were abandoned on city streets, several barricades had been erected from the ruins, small units of soldiers hurried about in formation, and the sound of gunfire filled the air. She could see several buildings burning in the distance, and shouting from every which direction. However, she could not spot the target.

"The Square should be three miles to your east," Rebecca stated. "You'll be able to stick close to the rooftops most of the way, but the area surrounding the Square is mostly clear. Be extra careful once you get there. Cover is limited."

"Hey guys, you wouldn't be able to drop her any closer to the target zone, would you?" asked Freddie.

"The entire city is littered with non-friendly's with RPGs," Rebecca said. "We're lucky they haven't noticed the chopper yet, and I'd rather not wait around until they do."

"We might have another problem," said Freddie.

"What are you—holy shit, that is bad!" exclaimed Frankie. AJ raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong now?"

"Uh, Major, have you been checking the weather recently?" asked Frankie, nervousness in his voice.

"Do I look like a fuckin' meteorologist to you?"

"It's just that—"

"To the west—"

"Sandstorm—"

"An hour—"

"Then it hits the Square."

"Alright, I get it," Rebecca screamed angrily. AJ heard her pound her fist against something metal. "Not sure if you got that, AJ, but apparently, there's gonna be a rough sandstorm hitting that area in about an hour. Now, your goggles have thermals in them, so you _should_ be able to see. However, you need to get the package _before_ then. We won't be able to use the extraction system in those kinds of weather conditions. And I assume you _don't_ want to stay in that city until the storm blows over, 'cause God knows how long that'll take."

"Understood," said AJ, grabbing ahold of her muffler and pulling it over her mouth and nose. She cast a look down beneath her. The helicopter was hovering in place over a fifteen story building, which stood out from several shorter buildings surrounding it. "Preparing to drop."

"Stop preparing and get on with it already!" Jamie suddenly complained. "Jeez, it's like all you people ever do is talk about things. You're on a time limit, so get moving!"

"Uh… thanks, Scoots," Rebecca said, unsure of her words. "AJ, you're all good for a landing." AJ nodded, and gave one last quick check of her inventory. Everything she needed was ready. She clenched her fist, and gave one final look at the tattoo. She stared hard at the two black roses, and closed her eyes.

_For you,_ she thought somberly. Then, she opened her eyes, and stepped off of the platform. She landed ten feet below on her feet, shifting her weight to distribute the shock. Her new suit was non-absorbent, so she figured that it would probably be a bad idea to jump from any one of the buildings to the ground. She looked up, and saw the B8-NSWCH begin to ascend into the cloudless sky. It flew higher and higher until it became nothing more than a speck off in the distance. AJ rolled her shoulders. There was no turning back for her anymore.

"Okay, AJ, the target is to your left," Rebecca stated. "You can use the anchor to get across the building tops."

"I figured that much," AJ said, feigning offense. "The only thing is… how the how do you work this thing?" The anchor was one of the strangest devices AJ had ever laid her eyes. It resembled a solid black pistol, although it had openings on both ends, and bent at a ninety degree angle. Resting in both slots were small, three-pronged claws, and on each barrel were several slides and etchings of numbers. In the middle was a single black clip, a two-way switch, and beneath that a trigger.

"Don't worry," stated the smooth, deep voice of Jackson. "I'll walk you through it. You hold the device like a gun, the longer end being what you point at the building; and you're gonna want to point that thing near the top of the target if you want to climb it. The switch in the middle represents which claw you're going to be firing, so make sure it's pointed at the long one first, so you don't accidently shoot yourself in the foot."

"That's not really the confusing part," AJ stated, annoyed.

"I know," Jackson agreed. "Those other slides and whatnot control the distance and strength of the anchor. Depending on the distance you need to travel, you can adjust the slides to make sure the anchor not only properly hits its target, but also, plants itself tightly enough. After both sides are firmly rooted in place, all you have to do is clip it onto your shoulder, and hold the trigger. The fiber is able to hold up to three hundred and fifty pounds, so you should be fine traversing across the rooftops."

"That's comforting," AJ said sarcastically. She held the anchor carefully, and took aim at a building twenty or so yards away, and ten feet below. She fiddled around with the switches, often holding it in front of the camera for advice. Jackson informed her that her measurements needed to be exact, which was unfortunate, as AJ wasn't necessarily the best at mathematics. She had to check multiple times that everything was set up properly, and even after that, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy as she took aim at the nearby structure and pulled the trigger. She was taken aback by the strength of the recoil as sixty feet of high-tension cable shot out of the device, and impaled itself directly into its target. Recovering slowly, she flicked the middle switch, carefully moved her feet out of the way, and shot another cable into the floor, where it anchored itself in tightly. She gave a strong tug to test its durability, and then with a sigh, clipped the device onto its belt.

"You don't have time to waste, AJ," Rebecca crudely reminded her. "Stop looking at that like you want to fuck it and—"

AJ never even registered a word Rebecca said. The second she was sure the device was attached, she leapt off of the edge, and pulled the trigger as hard as she could. The gears inside of the anchor revved to life, and AJ practically flew across the sky. She felt the euphoria rush over her as she traversed smoothly through the air. She was pleasantly surprised to see that the clips supported her weight, so she could rest comfortably and observe the battles around her. On the streets below, she saw a squadron of heavily-armed military soldiers fighting off against bundles of their less-equipped enemies. AJ was so distracted by this sight that she nearly forgot to remove her finger from the trigger, causing her to narrowly avoid colliding with the roof of the building. At the last moment, she unclipped the anchor from her shoulder, and rolled onto the roof, quickly regaining her balance. The anchor hit the ground with a clang, although remained undamaged. AJ felt like shouting.

"Damn, that was a thrill," she said happily. "You'd love this, Rebecca."

"Man, imagine Maj flying through the air on that thing," Jamie thought aloud to herself. AJ herd her start to giggle uncontrollably, followed by the sound of Rebecca groaning angrily, and clanging her fingers against the table.

"So, is this all there is to it?" AJ asked, hoping to change the subject before someone on her support team ended up getting strangled to death. "Doesn't seem too bad. I'm on my way."

"Hurry," Rebecca stressed. "Fifty five minutes left."

AJ nodded. She had wasted more time than she wanted figuring out how to work the anchor. She kicked herself into high gear. Considering how long it would take to move across the city, she barely had time to waste on petty details. Locating the closest building, she took off sprinting towards it, flipping as many switches as possible as she ran. By the time she reached the edge, she was confident enough with her own calculations to make the shot. She fired immediately, towards the opposite building looming above her, and before it connected, she fired the second anchor into the ground beneath her. She clipped on the device, and leapt off just after the hooks had locked in place. Once she reached the next, rooftop, she repeated the process. And then, she repeated it with the next roof, and the roof after that, and the roof after that. Her thoughts were only focused on the anchor and moving her feet. Before she even knew it, she had swung herself from ten consecutive rooftops, and showed no signs of slowing. She could hear her support team commenting about her, but never bothered listening to the details. They may have been yelling at her to slow down, or calling her incredibly talented, or revealing the secrets of the universe for all she cared. All that mattered was the fluidity of her actions, and the constant motion that drove her.

"Man, she's not slowing down at any time, is she?" Jessie said in shock.

"She's putting way too much tension on her shoulder," Hart stated, clearly worried. "Major, could you tell her to slow down, or at least wait for the anchor to lock into place before flinging herself off of buildings?"

"I don't think she's listening," said Rebecca. "I've seen that face before: she's in the zone."

"I've never seen someone adapt to the anchor that quick before," Jackson added. "Hell, I'm not even sure _I_ can use it that quickly."

"You mean way back when, right?" Rebecca said with a smirk. "Your fat ass wouldn't be able to chase down a bus nowadays."

"Maj, that wasn't nice," Jamie said sadly. "Why do you always have to insult people like that?"

Rebecca softened up. "Uh… sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It was just… ya know, friendly jokes. I'm sorry if I offended you, Jackson. Really."

"Hell, you have nothing to apologize about," Jackson said with a laugh. "I admit it: I'm a big guy. But you should'a seen me back in the day… there was never a more handsome devil in the entire armed forces. If you want, Robinson, I can show you some pictures later, if that's what'll peak your interests."

"Sure, why not?" Jamie said, equally cheerful. "They have to be more interesting than Maj's pictures."

"It's almost like you _want_ me to slap you, Scoots," Rebecca stated, although there was no discourse in her voice. Watching AJ elegantly skirt across the rooftops put her mind at peace. To her, nothing was as soothing as the sound of her comrades bickering and joking around. Compared to the dire circumstances of the mission, it was a pleasant change of pace. Perhaps, nothing would go wrong. Perhaps AJ would have a simple, straight shot to the target, and return home unharmed. Perhaps, everything would be just fine.

Of course, nothing was ever that simple.

"Oh shit!" Frankie screamed. "Major, big problem! Big Problem!"

"You have to get Dawn off the roofs _now_!" the twin agreed. Rebecca groaned loudly.

"What are you two complaining abou—"

"Missiles!"

"Incoming!"

Rebecca stayed silent for a moment, as she let the information process. At first, the news sounded too peculiar, too unreal. That part of history already occurred. The missiles had already been launched, hadn't they? After a moment, she let out a very confused sound that no one in the room had ever expected to hear from her lips.

"Huh? Wha… what the hell are you talking about?"

"Major, a barrage of missiles has been launched at Cairo," Freddie explained.

"Dawn is right in the target zone. She needs to get to ground level or she is literally _screwed._"

"The FA launched more missiles at their own soldiers?" Jamie asked, just as confused.

"Something's not right," Rebecca said. "The FA might be full of homicidal maniacs but they would _never_ attack their own. Hamim, you wouldn't know anything about this, would you?"

"No, this behavior of theirs is erratic," he told her calmly, thinking carefully about all of the details. "One of the fundamental codes they follow is to protect their own culture and their own people. The only reason I can see for them to risk killing their own is if they would gain something incredible from it. Could it be the package, perhaps?"

"We'll figure it out later," Rebecca said quickly. She had more important things to worry about. Her _friend_ was still in grave danger. She had lost too many people in her life. She refused to lose anyone else.

AJ had just landed on her twelfth rooftop when she heard the desperate screaming in her ear. "AJ, get the fuck out of there! Can you hear me!? Get to the ground as fast as you _fucking_ can!" She paused in mid-step, took a brief look around, and glanced down towards her camera.

"Major, I don't see _anything_ around here," she said, although she was slowly beginning to panic.

"I'm giving you an order dammit!" Rebecca shouted. "Get to ground level!"

AJ had never heard Rebecca so terrified before. Through all of the times she had known her, AJ had never heard her start to legitimately panic. When Rachel was kidnapped, she didn't panic. When she had feigned allegiance to her father, she didn't panic. Even when Tara died, Rebecca at least managed to temporarily keep her composure. Something had gotten to her. That was the only explanation. And hoping not to be caught in the middle of whatever was causing such a problem, AJ ran to the edge of the roof, and began adjusting her anchor. She flipped through the switches, trying to judge the distance to the ground.

AJ heard the missiles before she saw them. It started as a low whistling noise coming from the east, which gradually increased in volume over the course of several seconds. A rumbling sound was soon added to the base. Granted, AJ was by no means an expert on what missiles would sound like, but she became fairly certain (and increasingly worried) that impact was imminent. She shot out one anchor at the floor, and another at the earth fifty feet beneath her. The missiles grew closer. She was running out of time. There wouldn't be time for the anchor to lock into place. If she didn't move soon, it would be her end. She cast another look at the anchor, which was still descending. She sighed distastefully.

_Why does this always end up happening to me? _AJ thought sadly. She clipped the device onto her shoulder. Without waiting for it to lock fully into place, she jumped off the roof. She could feel each and every story that she passed. Three stories. Five stories. The seconds that passed felt like an eternity of endless plummeting. The whistling grew louder, yet she still couldn't locate the source. It must have been above the horizon, she realized. How close was she to getting hit?

_SNAP_

The tension wire clicked into place. AJ was snapped back by her shoulder, leaving her dangling in mid-air limply. She let out a gasp of pain. Her shoulder was burning; she thought something might have been popped out of place. Yet, the pain would hardly matter if she was about to be incinerated. Through the pain, she swung her other arm around, and slammed her finger on the trigger. She slid down the chord, the grinding of the internal gears deafening her. The constant grinding put incredible strain on her shoulder, but she forced herself to keep going. When she felt that she was close enough to the ground, she reached around and unclicked the anchor from her body. She tumbled to the floor, gripping her shoulder tightly as she rolled. Luckily, the city street she was on was abandoned, save for a few broken cars and ruined signs.

"AJ, are you okay?" Rebecca asked worriedly.

"I think I dislocated something," AJ said, rising to her feet. She rubbed the wound, trying to soothe it. "I can still move. Just give me a sec to—"

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM**_

A large explosion rocked the earth twenty yards away, destroying one of the cars. AJ was thrown to the ground again, shielding her eyes from the brilliant light. Another rocket collided with the building she was previously standing on, sending debris falling in her direction. She dove out of the way as large chunks of concrete struck the earth, barely missing her. AJ did the only thing she could think of in the chaos: she got to her feet, and ran as fast as she could.

AJ lost all sense of direction in the madness. She swooped around corners at a breakneck pace, jumping over anything that came in her way. Aimlessly, she sprinted around the city blocks, hearing the constant sound of explosions and crumbling buildings. There was practically nowhere safe. Eventually, she ran into the center of what used to be a crowded intersection. She spotted at least ten cars, several of which were aflame. The burnt corpses of dozens laid in a pile to her left. Another burst of whistling was drawn to her ears. Instinctively, she slid under the cover of one of the non-flaming wreckage, and covered her ears.

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM**_

The heat from the explosion reached AJ, and she drew into herself, holding any part of exposed skin against the ground. She pressed herself flat to avoid contact with the metal, knowing full well what would happen if she were not come in contact with it. Even after the fires ceased, she continued to hold her position, panting heavily. She peered out from under the car, able to see nothing prom her location. She heard voices calling to her.

"AJ? AJ? Can you hear me?"

It was Rebecca calling, yet AJ couldn't hear. The warzone had overcome her.

"Hey, we've stopped receiving threats of incoming missile attacks," Rebecca informed her. "And… on the bright side, at least you had the decent sense to run in the right fucking direction. You ran a goddamn half-mile, girl."

"Dash…" AJ said through her panting. "That… was not… cool. If y'all got something to warn me about… do it _before_ it kills me, would ya?"

Rebecca chuckled. "Hey, we were worried about you. Be happy that people do that after you've been living your entire life by yourself in the wilderness."

"Also, if it means anything," Jessie added. "You looked pretty badass running away from those explosions."

"And you protected the sensitive parts of your skin, too," stated Doctor Hart. "That was smart of you."

AJ carefully scooted herself out from underneath the vehicle, and onto the sidewalk. She maintained a tight grip on her shoulder as she surveyed the environment. The bodies didn't disturb her as much as they should have. "I appreciate the praise, but things don't actually look any better from over here. It looks like I'm in a cemetery, and my shoulder is killing me."

"It doesn't look dislocated; you might have sprained it," Hart stated. "I'd suggest you wouldn't use that for a while. Try not to damage it further."

"I'll remember that," AJ said, heading off towards the center of the intersection. "Hopefully, I'll be able to use the shotgun with—"

Suddenly, AJ froze in place. Off in the distance, she saw six FA soldiers racing towards her position. She dove back to the floor, and rested behind the car, hoping that she would camouflage into the background. Her good hand gripped one of her pistols as she prepared for the worst. They approached steadily, hands shaking as they gripped their machine guns. They were all males in their mid-twenties, with one exception. A man towered above the rest, a massive gun slung over his shoulder. He was the only person who wore a cap, while the rest wore plain, red clothing. One of the soldiers looked straight at the pile of bodies, and cringed.

"Dammit, this is a massacre," he spoke in his native tongue.

"Who the hell did this?" asked another, intriguing the agent who was overhearing the conversation. AJ listened intently as they talked.

_They didn't kill these people?_ AJ thought curiously.

"Hey… you don't think…" said the first soldier. "I mean, it could be—"

"Will you shut up about that stupid myth?" said the commander, his face deadly serious. "This was caused by rogue missiles. Nothing more."

"Then how did the bodies get stacked up?" asked another soldier. "It has to be the Horsemen. The Egyptians didn't do it."

"What if they're still here, listening to us?" asked another. "You know the poem, Commander. I've heard you recite it—"

"That's enough out of you," barked the commander. "All I ever here is talk about the Four Horsemen. You've all become weak, spineless cowards because of it. And yet, not one of you has the sensibility to understand how illogical you act. By being afraid, all you're doing is spreading fear to every one of our soldiers. There is no such thing as the Four Horsemen!"

"Four Horsemen…" AJ muttered to herself. That name circulated around her mind. In all of her years as a soldier, she had never once heard of them. Who were they, and why would everyone be so afraid of them? Were they not trained killers as well? Again, AJ's interest was piqued.

"Hey, Major," AJ asked in a whisper. "You wouldn't know anything about the 'Four Horsemen', would you?"

"Of the Apocalypse?" Rebecca asked in turn. "You'd have to ask Scoots about that. Bible terminology isn't exactly my strong suit."

"I don't think so. I think these guys are talking about soldiers. They also mentioned something about a poem. You wouldn't got a clue what that means?"

"Actually, Miss Balle," interrupted Hamim. "I feel like I might have heard that before. Allow me a few minutes to research, and I might be able to find it."

"Thanks, although I think we have a bigger concern on our hands," reported the Major. "AJ, can you get a good look at that big gun over there?"

AJ shrugged, and then pulled her binoculars over her head. She pushed a button on the side, and the image zoomed much closer to her face. She could see the commander in every disgusting detail. Opting to focus on something more important, she leaned her head looked directly at the large gun. Unfortunately, she knew what her friend was going to tell her before she said it. The gun had an oddly-shaped barrel, which extended out on a sphere. Its exterior was sleek and new, and on the top was a clear screen, with a digital square in the middle. AJ sighed at the sight of it: a SMART gun.

"You don't suppose I'd be able to dodge that?" AJ asked hopefully.

"No, not a chance in hell," Rebecca admitted. The Major nearly felt sick. A SMART machine gun was one of the rarest pieces of military technology in the world. It was experimental; anyone who would have given it away clearly did not have the trust to be handed it in the first place. The only logical conclusion was that the Commander, whoever he was, looted it from the body of a dead soldier. It made Rebecca want to fly out and shoot the man in the face herself.

Sensing the tension, AJ gritted her teeth. "If you want him dead, say the word." Rebecca remained silent for a moment, then groaned.

"You wouldn't stand a chance," she explained. "It'll lock onto you from a mile away. Besides, you have a mission to get done. On my count, make a break for it across the street and to the left."

"You're gonna want to make it to those buildings," Frankie explained. "They're mostly connected by back allies for a nearly a mile. When they're not, the intersections are pretty slim, so you should have no trouble avoiding baddies."

AJ took a nervous glance to her left. Sure enough, her support team had not let her down; a doorway across the street had been blown open by the explosion, revealing a lengthy hallway just out of her reach. Getting to it would only require a few seconds. The only problem was that, in order to reach her destination, she had to cross directly in front of the soldiers. She checked her ammo one last time before slowly bringing up her knees. She rested on all fours, watching the soldiers yell amongst each other through her goggles.

"Stop talking like that!" begged one of the soldiers. "They'll come after you, remember? 'His hounds seek malicious blood'? They could be anywhere."

"Nah, I think the Commander's got a point," said another man, although he could not hide the fear in his voice. "Myths will make us weak. And with that gun, he would shoot the Horsemen down like flies if they _did_ show up."

The group became divided, bickering constantly about their own fate. AJ smirked, and she knew full well that Rebecca was thinking of the same thing she was. She was about to speak when she heard the count in her ear.

"Three."

AJ rose to her feet and pressed herself against the wall.

"Two."

She peered out of cover one last time. She did not notice the armored troops slowly approaching from behind.

"One."

_BANG_

An FA member suddenly collapsed to the ground, blood pouring out of his neck. Machine gun fire filled the air. The scene erupted into chaos. Ten police units were unloading their fire into the exposed FA, swatting them down like flies. AJ flung herself to the ground to avoid the trail of bullets. To her left was the police, to the right the FA. There was only one way she would be able to get out. Regretfully, she began to crawl across the street.

The road was only ten meters across, but the crawl was grueling. Due to the limited cover, anyone at any time could have spotted her. Firing would draw their attention; all she could do was put one arm in front of the other, and move slowly. From the sounds of screaming, she could only assume the local forces were taking a dominating presence. But then, without warning, a sudden stream of bullets flew from the right, sending the police tumbling to the ground. It was as AJ feared: the SMART gun was being unloaded. Shot after shot blasted through the air, deflecting off of riot shields and Kevlar. However, those that made it through were enough, as half of the local force was brought down by the onslaught. AJ pushed onwards. Eventually, she would be targeted by the machine. She needed to get out by then. The longer she waited, the greater the chance of her imminent death. Taking a deep breath, she bounced to her feet and made a mad dash towards the entrance way. She could feel the confused gazes on her form as she broke through the line of fire. The bullets drew closer to her body as the SMART gun aimed itself towards her position. She could feel the blood rush throughout her entire body, granting her an incredible high. Her feet dug into the pavement with each step, kicking up dust and debris. Someone shouted orders to aim at her; but she could not tell which side it was. It didn't matter to her. She knew was about to die anyway.

That was, until, she cleared the doorway, and broke off into a sprint down the carpeted hall. The gunshots became muted as she turned the corner, passing by numerous numbered doors.

"Dash, they saw me," AJ said nervously, bolting out of one building and into the next. "What do I do? What do I do?"

"Uh… keep moving," Rebecca said as confidently as she could. "Cuz you're moving like you're on fire right now."

"Easy for you to say!" AJ said bitterly. She was in the clear for now, barging her way through any open door she could find. However, word would spread quickly around the city of a mysterious Special Forces agent roaming around the battle zone. At any moment, an FA member, or a military officer, or a random, defensive citizen with a gun could walk out of the blue and end her pitiful existence. It did not put her mind at ease, to say the least. The only way she could guarantee her safety was to keep on the move. Any locked door could be fixed with a simple gunshot, and almost every building in the city was designed with an emergency exit. The pathway should have been simple enough for her to follow. And yet, it remained both terrifying and exhilarating, a constant struggle between cat and mouse. AJ soon found herself on the first floor of an apartment complex, struggling to catch her breath.

"AJ, now really isn't a time to take a breath," Rebecca informed her. "Half an hour left."

"I know… it's just… whew…" AJ wheezed. She told herself that during the course of her retirement, she had gotten more out of shape than she realized. Unfortunately, she knew deep down that was very, _very_ incorrect.

"Luckily, none of the scans seem to show any hostiles nearby," Freddie stated.

"Now, ma'am," intervened Doctor Hart. "I think you need to take a breather. Your blood pressure is rising and your CO2 levels are skyrocketing like crazy."

"And just… how the hell… do ya know that?" AJ asked, both confused and infringed.

"I'm reading them right now," Hart explained, although the tone of AJ's voice made her wish she hadn't. "Those nanomachines I injected in your bloodstream are monitoring your vitals."

AJ rested for a moment, letting the information process. "You injected me with robots? I thought you said they were stamina boosters, or something! What kind of sick fu—"

"Whoa, chill," Rebecca said quickly. "They're not bad. It's not like they're gonna morph your conscious into that of a crazed terrorist or anything and make you turn evil. Most soldiers these days have them. Look, how about you just take some advice from the doc and rest—"

"Wait," AJ said suddenly. She stayed absolutely still, perking her ears up. She heard a faint cry in the distance. "Someone's in here with me."

Another cry rang out in the halls, this time much clearer than before. The source, as far as AJ could tell, was coming from the second floor. The feminine voice began to weep loudly, echoing down the hall. AJ eyes trailed down the ceiling until they came to a bend, to which she walked towards cautiously. Turning the corner, she found herself at two doors: a locked door to her right and a door blasted off of its hinges directly in front of her. A stairway was planted just behind it.

"I'm going to investigate," AJ reported, beginning her ascent. She rounded the flight of stairs nearly crouching, hoping to avoid drawing the attention of whoever, or _whatever_ was causing the noise. As she steadily climbed, the cries got louder and louder.

"Please, don't do this," a woman yelled in anguish. AJ gripped her gun tighter as she reached the top of the stairwell. Another muffled voice responded.

"I'm sorry, but I have orders," said the gruff voice. As AJ walked down the hallway, she noticed several locked doors on either side of her. The one exception, however, laid at the end of the hall to her left. A bright light was shining out of the room; she spotted shadows dancing on the floor. She paused, flipping her goggles over her eyes, and turning on the thermal setting, hoping to catch a glimpse of the target through the wall. Unfortunately, the concrete foundation was too thick to see through. She sighed, flipping off the infrared. In a crouched walk, she hurried over to the open door, pressing herself against the frame. Carefully, she peered inside.

The apartment was what AJ considered to be quaint. The entrance led to a small kitchen area and a small living room, separated partially by a countertop. Once inside, another door to the right led to what AJ assumed to be the bedroom. However, what was once a pleasant living space had been transformed into a disaster. Assorted pots and pans were strewn about all over the floor, and previously precious household treasures had been smashed to bits. A picture frame had been tossed carelessly near the doorway, where AJ was able to catch a brief look at it: a married couple and a young girl, no older than ten, were smiling happily at the camera, smiling in bliss. With shock, AJ realized the man was wearing a police uniform. Chances were, with the ongoing chaos in the streets, he was deceased.

But that was not the reason for the family's cries. As AJ looked inside again, she found the problem. Up against the back wall were the mother and daughter, holding each other closely. AJ could see tears running down the mothers face, as the daughter pressed herself into her parent's side. They had not noticed her; for they were too busy staring fearfully at the _other_ occupant of the room. Between AJ and the girls was a man, wearing a thick coating of armor and wielding an M74U machine gun. AJ examined him carefully. He looked like police, but why on earth would he be holding these two innocent people hostage? Wasn't he there to protect them? The man cast a brief look around the room, and upon seeing his head, AJ immediately realized that she was mistaken. The man, whoever he was, was wearing a dark gray mask, with the face guard morphed into the shape of a wolf. On his chest was a green and orange badge: a husky holding a knife in its mouth, and a sash draped across its back.

"Wait, is that—" Hamim said in shock. "Silver Hounds? What in the world is a PMC doing here?"

Silver Hounds. The name struck a chord. AJ was familiar with the concept of private military companies. The concept was intriguing enough: an army without a nation, a group of soldiers willing to do whatever is asked of them, all for the right price. Despite international law banning their operations, no one could prevent their existence. There was simply too many to keep track of, and in the constant struggles of war, they were practically a necessity. AJ had read up on quite a few of them before her official return. She familiarized herself with the PMC giants like "Militaires sans Peur", or the "United Armed Forces of West Africa (UAFWA)". Silver Hounds, however, was a peculiar subject. A small allegiance of soldiers from across the globe, the group had always identified as mercenaries rather than a fully-fledged PMC, although no one ever considered them as such. More so, their recorded firepower was drastically lower than other well-known PMCs, even relatively cheaper ones. And even stranger, there had yet to be one known battle in the region to include the group for nearly seven years. So, the question remained: why were they in Cairo, and why did they come _now_?

AJ grunted. She supposed it wasn't important for the moment. What _was_ important was saving those innocent lives. It wasn't a part of her mission objectives, but she refused to let anyone die. Keeping low to the floor, AJ quietly stepped into the room. It was only a walk of four meters to the target, but if he were to turn around, there would be nowhere to escape to. The family was too busy sobbing to notice her presence. She focused on putting one foot in front of the other, when she reached the half-way point. Then, she stepped on a loose floorboard.

_SQUEAK_

The Silver Hounds soldier spun around, swinging around his gun. AJ swore to herself, and then lunged. He fired at her but she managed to roll underneath the bullets, coming to a rest at his feet. She shot her palm up, delivering a debilitating blow to his chin. As he stumbled back, she grabbed onto his gun, and forcefully removed it, tossing it away. The soldier growled, and removed a lengthy knife from his pocket. He and AJ stared each other down, and then he began to swing wildly. AJ easily sidestepped his attacks; his range meant nothing if he was not able to swing with precision. AJ looked over his soldier. The mother had closed her eyes, and was reciting a prayer. The daughter did not show her face. The brief distraction nearly allowed AJ to get stabbed in the stomach, although she was just able to move out of the way. The next swing the soldier launched was at her head, and she grabbed onto his wrist, snapping it backwards to remove the blade. He grabbed his wrist in agony: an opening. AJ wrapped her leg around his, and cast him to his knees. She hurried around to his back while he was vulnerable, grasped his neck with two arms, and with a quick, fluid motion, snapped his neck. He fell lifelessly to the floor.

Hearing that the violence stopped, the mother opened her eyes, and screamed. AJ walked towards her, her hands extended.

"Hey, it's alright now," AJ said. "The threat's gone. He's taken care of. You're safe."

AJ took another step forward, and the mother recoiled. The daughter had now exposed herself, looking at AJ timidly. Soon, AJ realized her mistake: her face was concealed. The goggles and muffler were still wrapped tightly over her, drowning out her voice and making her appear almost inhuman. AJ knew full well that if she were in the same circumstances, she would be just as untrusting. She knelt down by them, gesturing to her face.

"Whoa, whoa, it's okay, see?" AJ said slowly. She reached up to her face, and removed her goggles, placing them on the floor. She then pulled down her muffler, and smiled softly. "It's alright. It's all alright now."

The daughter, slowly but surely, released herself from the grip of her parent. The fear in her eyes was gone. The mother put a hand to her mouth, processing the news. AJ continued to smile and reassure them that things were alright. The mother knew that there would be no female soldiers in the FA, and the mysterious woman _had_ just saved her life from the armored man. There really could only be one reason why: the woman was there to help.

"Look, y'all need to get somewhere safe," AJ informed them. She had no idea how much they understood, but she was hoping the point would get across. She pointed towards the doorway. "I passed some safe-looking buildings on my way here. There weren't any more bad guys the last time I checked, so it should be clear. Y'all might be able to get shelter if ya head out now."

Somehow, the message got across. The mother nodded shakily, and AJ helped her to her feet. She picked up her daughter, and quickly scuttled out of the apartment. The daughter never took her eyes off of AJ until they rounded out of sight. AJ sighed. It felt good to help people, but sadly, she had wasted precious time in the matter. She had work to get done. Climbing over the body of the dead Silver Hounds soldier, AJ continued her way through the building, noting that the family had disappeared in the opposite direction.

"Miss Balle," said Hamim. "I managed to search up some facts about these 'Four Horsemen', if you're interested."

"Read it anyway, Nahas," Rebecca ordered. "_I'm_ interested in it."

"Go ahead," AJ agreed, exiting the complex.

"Well, I can plainly see why these characters are considered a myth," he explained as he read the information in front of him. "Roughly eighteen months ago, numerous piles of corpses, sometimes dozens at a time, were being located across the Middle East, as well as some war-torn African nations and the Romania. These piles were often found in known contested territory, and contact was lost before their suspected deaths. What's strange, however, is that remains contained the remains of members from _both_ sides of the conflict. In fact, entire platoons were reported to go missing, all ending up in these remains. The warzone was being transformed into a literal field of corpses, yet no side could take credit for the slaughter. Not even PMC's were safe from this… curse of death."

"By 'field', how many people are you talking about, exactly?" AJ asked. She heard Hamim sigh, his voice shaky as he read the numbers.

"Based on the known body count… nearly three-_thousand_."

AJ let out a grunt. Given the body count, there was suddenly a very good explanation of why the FA would be afraid.

"Hold up," Rebecca said. By the annoyed tone of her voice, she was not buying the story at all. "Tons of people die in war. Hundreds are dying daily over there. I don't see why this is any different than another damn genocidal crusade."

"But it's not like that. These mass killings have been taking place in over a dozen countries. More than that, whatever is doing these killings doesn't seem to take a side. Anyone who is in the warpath dies, no matter what country they fight for. At least, that's what the articles say."

"You know, maybe that's why you've never heard about it," interjected Jamie. "I mean, if so many are dying regardless, I doubt that our news stations would bother reporting it, since we're not trying to get involved anyway."

Rebecca pondered that for a moment. She had to give her protégé credit where credit was due. She had known for the longest time the media was completely unreliable. She was glad to hear someone else share the same opinion.

"What I don't get is: how did the 'Four Horsemen' come out of all of this?" AJ asked honestly. To her, there was no connecting piece to tie one name to the killings, other than a similar disposal method. She passed straight through another building, keeping a steady pace.

"See, that's where this poem of yours comes in. I've managed to find an article tracing back to the Romania. Around a year ago, back when the southern part of the country was under siege by Serbian terrorists, a squadron of twenty-two soldiers encountered a base camp for terrorist forces from the Orthodox Serbian Liberation Force. The terrorists, roughly thirty in number, held a dozen hostages in tents scattered around the area. According to the article, the squad received orders to eliminate the threat and rescue the hostages. Afterwards, they lost radio contact. Upon arriving on the scene two days later, the military found over sixty corpses, and only one survivor, who claimed to witness the entire attack. The survivor was recorded saying that the soldiers on both sides were killed by 'four angels of death, black as the night and cruel as the devil itself'. He said that they left him alive because he managed to hide away underneath another dead body, so they did not notice him. Although this man was deemed to be in shock by a medical evaluation, and later went insane, he wrote a poem describing the horror of what he saw, and warning others of the terror that lurked in the world. Apparently, as the news of these strange, bizarre killings made their way across the Middle East, so did the poem, and the rumors of the 'Four Horsemen'. That was all I could find."

"Oh… wow," Jamie said, sounding as if she was in a trance. "That's… a weird story. What does the poem say?"

"You can read it yourself, if you like," Hamim said honestly. "I've pulled it up on my monitor."

"Yeah, didn't you say that you once one a poetry award or something at your high school?" Rebecca said, trying to lighten the mood. "You can read it all _mellow_ like, the way it's supposed to be read. Add some emotion, you know?"

"Well, I think reading a poem about death is different than reading a poem about my mom's love… but sure, if you want me to."

"Get on with it already, Jamie," AJ begged. She stepped out into the bright sun once again, scanning the environment around her. The coast was clear, but she kept up her guard. "I'm tired of hearing the sound of gunshots."

"Alright then. Let me see…"

AJ entered a convenience store located a mile away from her destination. The cheery pop music still played on overhead. The shelves had been pillaged, empty boxes thrown on the ground. As AJ walked through the abandoned aisles, she caught the faintest glimpse of a cashier hiding for his life behind a countertop. He sheltered his face upon seeing her, hoping to be ignored. Luckily for him, he was not a concern of hers. As she came to the back door, she pulled out her gun, and blasted the knob off of its place.

"Okay, I think I got the rhythm down," Jamie stated. She coughed, and read aloud the words in front of her, her voice grave. "_From Midnight to Dawn to Dusk again, they stalk the tainted ground, Spawned of the deepest realms of Hell to claim unworthy souls; of their purpose to redeem themselves of misfortunes untold, of talents to which they sort themselves that mortals be unbound._"

Upon stepping outside, AJ saw something large coming towards her from the left. She dove back inside just as a large truck skid down the road. She quickly noticed that riding along the back of the truck were FA soldiers, all heavily armed. Had they spotted her? She didn't bother checking. For all she knew, the truck was already pulling over to get her. She took a deep breath, and hauled herself in the opposite direction, hoping no one else would follow her.

"_Quest not for darkness by thy shelter of their unholy gaze; travelers of shadow, his hounds seek malicious blood. No man shall ever greet their eyes or lest become undone, or let the vicious spirits reap their glory to the Devil's praise._"

AJ had quickly returned to the game of cat and mouse, just when she thought she would have a break from it. However, things had become vastly more difficult. She had accidently run into a destroyed area of the city. Rubble from countless buildings rested on either side, blocking her route. The only remaining path was down a one hundred yard road, which was littered with human remains. AJ sighed with discontent. There was no time to risk backtracking, especially given the FA's presence in the area. She knew that these people deserved much better than this, but she hadn't a choice. AJ pushed her way forward, trying her best to step over the blood-soaked bodies out of respect.

"_For all eternal deeds of slaughter shall not make amends, their quest shan't ever be deterred till His rapture hath begun. The truest words of wisdom to those whose lives wish to be one…_"

Jamie paused for a moment, and let out a breath that no one was aware she was holding in.

"_Thou must beware the Four Horsemen, for they shall bring the end._"

AJ heard nothing but silence afterwards. She climbed over a three foot high pile of concrete lying in the middle of the road. The road in front of her was growing shorter. Her mind kept jumping about from one thought to the next. In a matter of seconds, her mind wandered from the poem, to keeping her footing, to avoiding bodies, to listening for enemies. An interesting thought popped up for a second, but she was so easily distracted that she nearly forgot to say it. Fortunately, Rebecca picked up the slack for her.

"Yeah, that guy was fucking insane," she said with the utmost certainty.

"Really? Is that _all_ you can say about it?" Jamie asked, sounding almost offended.

"Look, if thousands of soldiers are really going to be afraid of some mythological bullshit, then fine by me. As long as AJ gets the job done, that's all I care about."

"But, aren't you at least _curious_? I mean, you have to wonder: what did that guy see to make him write something like that? His words in the poem felt _sincere_. You don't think—"

"That a group of hell-spawns are parading around the world butchering people like crazy? No. Probably the inner rebel in me, but I don't tend to have a lot of faith in things."

Jamie sighed loudly. "I'm not saying I believe it _entirely_. It's just that I think something is a little weird about it. No one is saying anything about demons or Hell or anything like that."

"I wouldn't suppose so," AJ said, walking around a burning wreckage of a car. She was finally getting close to the end of the nightmarish street. "Although, I've been thinking."

"Dear God, please don't go angelical on me," Rebecca groaned. "I've already got Scoots scolding me—I don't need you." In the background, AJ heard Jamie groan as well.

"No. I've been thinking about Silver Hounds," AJ explained. Rebecca was intrigued. Silver Hounds had to be one of the least common PMC's she had to deal with over the years. Their appearance now pleasantly surprised her, if not just for the change of pace.

"What's the big deal about Silver Hounds?"

"Hamim, you wouldn't happen to know the number of contracts Silver Hounds has received over the past eighteen months?"

"As far as I know… none," said the analyst.

"And their firepower hasn't truly been recorded, right? I mean, they aren't supposed to have any real advanced technology, but the guy I saw was wielding one hell of a decent gun. The M74U is expensive too, so if it's standard equipment, then they must have a _huge_ budget. Plus, all of their members come from across the globe, and refuse to swear allegiance to a country. They would be willing to go _anywhere_ and attack _anyone_."

Rebecca processed the information. From the way AJ was describing it, everything seemed to click into place. In fact, it seemed _too_ plausible. But that didn't stop Rebecca from bursting out into laughter.

"Oh man, imagine that," said the Major happily. "I don't know what your impressions of these guys are, but let me spell something out for you: Silver Hounds cannot possibly be the Four Horsemen. Not a chance in hell."

"I wasn't saying that was the only option. I think it could be _any_ group of soldiers, probably some squad of thirty or so. It aint any more ludicrous than suggesting that _four monsters_ are doing it."

"Oh no, I'm not arguing with that. I'm just telling you that there's more of a chance that _I'm_ killing three thousand people than Silver Hounds." She added quietly, "Not saying I _couldn't_. I'm me, after all…"

"Then what are they doing in Cairo?"

"Doesn't matter. By the way, fifteen minutes left."

"Don't worry, I'm moving," AJ said with relief. At long last, she came to the end of the street, and was able to shield her eyes from the bloodshed. The houses were now mostly intact, and better yet, provided a straight route to the park. If she ran, she would make it with plenty of time to spare. With a sigh of relief, AJ rounded the corner. "I'll be alright as long as I don't run into any more—"

AJ froze. Immediately, she found herself staring at five confused FA members, all of which within a few meters of her; one was less than a foot away. They were all armed to the teeth.

"—Dammit."

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Act I: Storm in the Desert (Part 2)

**Act I: Storm in the Desert (Part 2)**

**Operation: Lost Dog**

**08 June, 2025**

**Cairo, Egypt**

The soldier closest to her barely had time to turn his gun towards her before she swept his legs. As she dove back behind cover, she threw out her flash bomb, sending a blinding light into the eyes of her enemies. Doing so, she managed to avoid the vast majority of gunfire. However, one stray bullet managed to catch in her calf muscle, breaking through her gear easily. Wounded, AJ scurried back alongside the length of the house, keeping her distanced. Blood was trickling down her leg. She ground her teeth and hissed in pain. The soldiers were shouting chaotically, probably trying to regroup themselves. At any moment the effects of the flash would wear off, and she would be a sitting duck.

Then, she remembered that she had a shotgun. AJ removed the gun from its strap on her back, and aimed it towards the corner. Her finger pressed against the trigger, she patiently waited for a chance to strike. She closed her eyes and took a very deep breath to center her aim, as well as to numb the pain in her own mind. She could feel the soldiers pressing themselves up against the opposite wall, waiting to spring out and fire.

Soon enough, one of the FA soldiers popped out of the wall, and took aim. AJ showed no hesitation in pulling the trigger. The recoil had been designed for minimum impact, but she was still nearly knocked over. She stayed upright long enough to witness a large chunk of the man's upper body fly off from its lower counterpart.

"Jesus Christ…" AJ muttered to herself. The sheer amount of firepower in her arms overwhelmed her. She wasn't wielding a gun, she was wielding a _cannon_. And apparently, the other soldiers realized the same thing. One of them called an order to draw back behind cover. On one hand, it gave AJ a moment to assess her condition. On the other hand, she had no idea what they could be planning.

"Oh man, you're bleeding pretty badly," Hart said, her voice full of worry. "That bullet must have struck a vein on its way out of your system. You need to apply something to that wound _fast_, or you might pass out from the blood loss."

"Don't got time," AJ said bitterly. "I need to take these bastards out now. There should be four of 'em left, right?"

"Yeah," said Jessie. "I've managed to hack into their communication channels. They haven't called in backup yet, although they probably won't wait for long."

Hamim quickly added, "Typical FA attack formation means that the squad will break up into three. One man will take point near the last point of incursion, probably with a short-ranged instrument. Another will stand behind him several meters and to your right. The remaining men will provide covering fire from ten meters away."

"Got it," AJ said. She went over the information in her head several times. The battlefield was laid out before her in her mind. Simulation after simulation ran its course, each variation getting slightly tweaked and adjusted for complications. Suddenly, one answer stood out from the rest: a perfect strategy. She prepared herself for the attack, pulling her goggles over her eyes.

"Jackson, you said sonic grenades won't affect me, right?" AJ asked, holding one pistol in her left hand.

"Your earpiece should block out the lower frequencies. But you already know that, right?"

"Yeah," AJ said with a sigh. She forced herself to stand on her feet, feeling the immense pain from her lower leg. She grabbed onto one of the grenades, and snapped it from her belt. She pushed a button on the top of the object, causing it to start beeping. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't about to do something incredibly stupid."

From the safety of the military base, the support team watched in awe. The events unfolded before them in slow motion. Every intricate detail met their eyes, leaving them tuck in a sense of wonder. No matter how many times they had seen it, it was easy to underestimate the truth: AJ Balle was one of the greatest soldiers in the world. They watched her jump out of cover and latch on to the closest soldier. They saw the enemy soldiers take fire, not even remotely regarding their comrade's safety. They saw her throw the defenseless soldier through the air, and then slide head feet-first underneath his soaring body. They saw the bullets get deflected into his chest as AJ remained unharmed. They saw AJ take down the soldier to her right with a single gunshot to the neck. They saw her stop in place just as the two bodies hit the floor, seemingly leaving her wide open. They saw the other soldiers drop their weapons and cover their ears in pain. They saw AJ spring to her feet, and lunge towards the men with a determined look on her face. They saw her use one man's neck as a balance as she swung around, and kneed the other man in the face. They saw her use her momentum to slam the last soldier to the ground. They saw her finish the two helpless souls off with two swift shots to the chest.

And then, they saw her collapse.

"Agh!" AJ grasped her leg tightly. She attempted to stand back up, but quickly fell again. "Okay, probably shouldn't have done that… jeez…"

"You need to sit still!" Hart exclaimed. "Don't risk any further injury."

"No kidding," AJ groaned. She could feel every ounce of blood flowing out of her body, leaving a terrible burning sensation behind. Using what was left of her upper body strength, she dragged herself against a wall, resting next to a dead soldier. AJ looked away, and pulled out her medical bag. She was starting to feel woozy. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then opened the bag. Numerous pouches greeted her gaze, full of various bandages, tools, creams, and sprays.

"Take your headgear and put it next to your leg," instructed Doctor Hart. "I'll talk you through the process. Just… stay calm—"

"And pray she doesn't fuck up."

"Like she did with that _last_ guy—"

"Flannigans, now aint the time for your shit!" Rebecca shouted intensely. "Doc, go for it."

"Okay, okay," Hart said, her voice calm and soothing. "AJ, pull up your leg so we can see the damage."

AJ nodded. She rested the goggles a foot from her leg, the camera pointed towards the bloody limb. She hissed as she rolled up the tan garment passed the injury. Her entire calf was dyed bright red, and a thick liquid was pooling out of a small hole on either side.

"Now, it shouldn't be too hard to seal the wound, but it will probably hurt a bit. Fair warning. Anyway, the first thing you need to do is disinfect the wound. There's a white bottle with a blue label in your pouch that you need to spray on the wounded area. After that, you have to cauterize the wound with the medical laser. Rotate the lower segment until you see a red marking, and then try to fire it into the wound. That's going to hurt the most, but hopefully some of the painkillers in your system After that, apply one of the cooling patches; they're the little blue squares in the bottom zipper. Hopefully, all will go well, and you can apply some bandages. Your leg will still be weak though, so don't try to exert yourself. Got it?"

"Yeah… I got it," AJ groaned. She had to admit that her memory was not always the best, especially not when she was feeling so disoriented. However, she hoped that she remembered enough. She started by removing the spray, which she shook weakly to ensure its contents were correct. She held her breath, pointed the nozzle at her wound, and pulled the trigger. A mist covered the entirety of the wound, stinging like a wasp upon contact with the skin. She applied the material to both sides, taking the time to cover everything. Despite the pain, she didn't need anything _else_ in her life going wrong; an amputated leg wasn't something she desired. When she was finished, she practically threw the spray to the ground, and shuddered.

"Ya know, it's almost funny," AJ said tiredly. Her hand fumbled inside of the medical bag, grasping at the laser. "Of all the shit I've been through, the thing that hurts the most is a disinfectant spray. What kind of soldier am I?"

"Don't feel bad about it," Jamie said, trying to lighten the mood. "Everyone hates it. It's the same thing with paper cuts. The tiniest little things hurt sometimes. Even Maj can't handle it."

"Fucking little things," Rebecca cursed under her breath. AJ snickered at the thought of someone like Rebecca rolling on the floor in agony over a small cut on her finger. It put her mind at ease, which she was very thankful for. With some minor tinkering, she managed to correctly set the medical laser. Hesitantly, AJ pointed the small cylinder at her wound. She never did have much faith in technology.

"Make sure you don't leave the laser on for too long," Hart warned AJ. "Prolonged exposure could cause irreparable damage to skin tissue. And also… you might want to bite down on something hard. For safety, of course."

Without a second thought, AJ grabbed onto one of her pistols, and shoved the grip into her mouth. Before doing so, she made sure to unload the extra ammunition; at the very least, her sanity hadn't faded away like her energy. She sighed deeply, and took aim. She told herself that the pain would be blown out of proportion. After the build-up she had been given, she wasn't expecting the sensation to live up to the hype.

After turning on the device, she was immediately mistaken.

It was all she could do to not simply throw the accursed object against the wall. She closed her eyes tightly and squealed as a horrid burning traced its way through her system. The beam only connected with her flesh for three seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. She nearly refused to treat the opposite wound, but forced herself through the procedure. The pain had not seceded with time. It was only after she clumsily rummaged through the bag, grabbed a thin blue strip and stuck it to her leg, that she ever found respite. AJ couldn't help but let out a relieved moan as she felt the cool patch against the wound. She tenderly rubbed it, as she spat the gun out of her mouth.

"Ah, damn. That's better," said AJ.

"You look like you've just had sex," Rebecca said honestly. "Hurry up and bandage that thing. We're running out of time."

"How long till the storm?"

"Ten minutes."

"Shit… and how far away am I?"

"Less than a mile," responded one of the Flannigans.

"Great. Just great." AJ grabbed the bandages carelessly, and wrapped the cloth as fast as she could. She had hit a major setback. If she was going to make it in time, she would need to suck up the pain, and give one final push. The path was straight. She only hoped that no one else awaited her.

She lost count of the moments as she took rushed footsteps forward. There was no telling how many decayed buildings she walked by, or how piles of bodies she passed, or even where she was going. The road was straight, and she followed. Everything had become deathly silent. The gunfire had ceased entirely, and although she heard the faint sound of bombs dropping from afar, nothing was close enough to pose a threat. Time passed by agonizingly slow. The pain was practically gone, but too much weight on her bad leg brought the brutal feelings back. Her only indication of how close she was getting was Frankie's constant spouting numbers in her ear.

"Four tenths of a mile. Three tenths. The area should come into view soon."

AJ stopped in her tracks when she came to the end of the street. A large clearing lay before her, stretching across the vast emptiness of the land. Tehrir Square was miles across, yet fortunately, the scientific convention was located very nearby. In fact, AJ thought she could already see it. Off in the distance, various shadows were scattered about. They appeared to be booths or tables of some kind, several underneath a collapsed canopy. Excited to finally be getting the job over with, AJ lightly ran over to the shadows. Each footstep now brought her nothing but enjoyment and relief. Soon, she would be able to go back home. Soon, she would be able to get some rest. Soon, she wouldn't have to worry about any more controversy. Everything would be nice and back to normal, or at the very least, as normal as her life got.

Then, about fifty yards away, she saw the other shadows. She noticed dozens of little dark creatures, roaming about the area.

_Of course,_ AJ thought disappointedly. _Right when I get to the end of things._

AJ had finally managed to reach the target zone, where she could see things in greater detail. A hundred various platforms and counters were set up around a thirty meter radius. Atop each of them was something catching to the eye. It was either a set of chemicals, or a mechanical marvel, or a high-powered telescope, all sorted into their specific subdivisions. A massive canopy, that had previously sheltered the exhibit, was torn down and tossed away, its crumpled remains lying far from the grounds. Due to the open nature of the area, AJ could see everything in perfect detail. Unfortunately, this only confirmed her suspicions, as she could plainly make out nearly forty guards roaming the area. Far to her left, she noticed a grand stage, to which three FA generals conversing among themselves. Even worse, resting behind them, clear as day, was the mysterious crate that she needed to recover. At the first chance she got, AJ dove beneath the closest booth she could find. It displayed several new types of fabric for clothing, most likely to match a great number of environments.

"Guys, I got a visual on the target," AJ reported quietly. Even though she could see most of the guards were standing rather far away, she did not want to risk being discovered. It really didn't matter how talented she was at fighting. She was wounded, outnumbered, and outmatched in every sense.

"Man… that's a lot of baddies," Jamie said softly. Rebecca snapped at her.

"We know! No need to remind on us that shit's already bad, Scoots!"

Jamie scoffed. "What's got into you all of a sudden?"

"What's gotten into me? I've been getting orders like fucking crazy for the past _nine hours_! Everyone is breathing down my _fucking_ neck, all for some stupid _bullshit_ that no one will tell me what it is, and after all this, the _one fucking person_ who I've trusted to do this is surrounded by a bunch of religiously-crazed psychopaths. I mean… dammit!"

"Dash, are you really freaking out on me now?" AJ asked, bewildered. Of all the times for her best friend to have a breakdown, she was not in one of them. "What the hell has gotten in to you? I could really use some help right now."

No one else on the support team would say a word to her. AJ really couldn't blame them. If she was stuck in the same room as Rebecca Dawson when _she_ was angry about something, she would shut up as well.

"AJ, I'm gonna be real honest with you," Rebecca said. "I've been up all fucking night. I'm not sure if you've checked your time zones recently, but it's _real_ early in the fucking morning over here. The entire fucking US government has decided to put so much pressure on my back that it feels like something is crushing me to death. I was told that if I fucked up such a major operation, they'd deem me a national failure. I'm not even sure what the fuck that _means_, or if they can even _do_ that, but I'm trying to avoid whatever the hell it is. But… I'm just giving up at this point."

"Dash… you're kidding right?" AJ said in disbelief. The Rebecca she knew didn't give up. In fact, she pushed herself to a fault. How much had truly changed in nine years?

"AJ, your leg is shit," Rebecca stated bluntly. "You're low on ammunition. You have about five minutes until a sandstorm hits and strands you. You're surrounded by terrorists, and so is the package you need to get to. If just one of them sees you for even a _second_… look, just try to make your way back to an evac so you don't die."

"I'm not going anywhere," AJ said sternly. It was true what Rebecca had said about her chances, but that only further motivated her to get the job done. An idea was formulating in her mind. "I still got a few minutes, right? Well, most of the guards ain't around here really. They're in a state of disorder, wandering around like that. If I pick my time right, I can slip right up to the stage, and attach this weird thing to the package like I'm supposed to."

"But you'll be caught immediately," rebutted Rebecca. "Remember what Hamim said? They'll kill you on the spot."

"Not unless, I ride out _with_ it. I'm guessing this thing might be using that 'air recovery' system I've heard about."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "How the hell do you know about that? I thought you had no idea how that thing was supposed to work."

"I had a hunch. Basically, this thing will launch up high in the air, and hopefully, carry me along with it. You'll just have to pick me up as well."

"Do you have any idea how high that thing goes? At the rate it rises, you could face serious problems from too much acceleration. You would _die_ before we reached you."

"I'll die either way," AJ said somberly. "But I'd prefer it to being publicly executed any day."

AJ had heard enough; her mind was already made up. When it came to facing either certain death or nearly-certain death, she would rather be faced with the latter. After all, she had decided long ago that she wished to die on her own terms. No one else needed to know that, but hopefully they would understand anyway. And, if it meant getting the mission accomplished and helping out her friend in need, she thought it would be a willing sacrifice.

All that mattered now was her figuring out when to strike. Due to the heavy silence from all parties, she could easily overhear the conversation amongst the generals.

"They're holding us back," stated the one furthest to the right. "We need to bring in more men from the east. If we surround the city, they won't be able to escape for long."

"The populace thinks they are safe, but we'll starve them out," stated the one furthest to the left. "If we can hold this territory—"

"Then the United Nations could interfere," stated the one in the center. "We need to keep the situation isolated, establish a stronghold over the city, but still give them hope that they can hold out. Then, snuff out them when it's too late for them to turn back. There would be no one who would dare overrun us."

"No, you're thinking too far in advance," argued the one on the left. "If we prolong this, other countries will rally against us. We must claim victory where we can, even if we cannot contain it for long."

"Then what is the point of a victory? This is the same reason we could not get through Afghanistan, because we couldn't maintain our control! We can't afford to make the same mistake twice."

"Then we will be vulnerable to their retaliation, which is something _you _always seem to underestimate. I'm sure the president would agree as well."

"But he is not here! _I_ am leading this invasion. _I_ decide what is best."

The general growled, and pulled out his gun, which he pointed unceremoniously at his comrade's head. The other general did not as much as flinch.

"Perhaps I should just rid myself of the trouble then! Perhaps it would be better to simply—wait a minute. Do… do you hear that? I… I swear… something is there…"

AJ suddenly froze in place, absolutely terrified. The other generals began to look around nervously, as well as some of the soldiers nearby. She held her breath. Did they discover her? She thought she had barely moved a muscle. Yet, _somehow_, they had caught on. With terror in her heart, AJ came to the realization that, perhaps, she wouldn't be able to do anything at all. At any moment, they could find her, and then it would be over. She would be a failure.

But then, AJ heard a strange sound as well. It sounded like a low whooshing noise, almost as if something was soaring through the air. It wasn't the same as when the bombs were dropping. This was a different sound altogether. And worse, no one seemed to have the slightest idea of where it could be coming from. The leftmost general hopped down from the stage, and looked towards the sun, as if expecting something to descend from the heavens. He saw nothing, but the noise seemed to be growing closer. He muttered to himself.

"What the hell is th—"

_SHLK_

There was a splatter of blood, and then the man collapsed face first to the ground. Everyone stared at the body in shock. A large, circular, three-pronged glaive was embedded into his back. There was no indication of where it had come from, or how it had so perfectly attached itself to his spinal column. It was just there.

And then, before anyone could so much as scream, the glaive suddenly whirred to live. It spun around inside of the general's back, spraying blood and fluid in every direction. The soldiers stepped away from it, pointing their guns at the inanimate thing as if it would spring up and attack them. Then, to AJ's horror, it did just that. The glaive sprung out of the body, ripping its way through the back of the head, and skid along the ground. It rebounded off of several platforms, slicing through an unlucky soldier along the way. It finally came to a stop a meter and a half above a platform on the far right side, in the corner of AJ's vision. However, it did not rest on _top_ of the platform, but hovered above it, still rotating around and around. It finally came to a halt, yet refused to obey the laws of gravity. Countless guns were pointed at the phantom object. AJ could not believe her eyes. Was she imagining something? Was the pain taking a toll on her sanity? Or was there something truly supernatural at work.

But then, AJ noticed a distortion in the air next to the glaive. It was only a faint shimmering, but she was certain something was there. Within a moment, the specter began to unveil itself. The glaive was not hovering: a hand miraculously appeared out of thin air around the weapon, holding the object in one outstretched arm. The rest of the body slowly materialized afterwards, mostly kept in shadow. Not one of the soldiers even dared to fire a shot. They were far too terrified to act. Whoever was holding the weapon remained mysterious, except for one important detail: it was holding a lengthy spear in its left hand.

The specter raised its arm, and threw the glaive. That was when the chaos began. The spherical weapon of death bounced erratically around the battlefield, seemingly with a mind of its own. It cut through soldiers' necks and arms and legs easily, showing no sign of stopping. Some FA members opened fire upon the specter, but it had already vanished. At the same time, those members suddenly seemed to erupt in spouts of blood for no apparent reason. Their limbs fell apart from their bodies, and some unseen force penetrated through them, causing them to fall and perish. AJ was too stunned to ask the support team what was going on, and they were too confused to even regard the circumstances of the bizarre attack. AJ watched the FA members try to quickly organize against the specter, which had seemingly vanished entirely.

However, something had suddenly become a cause for distraction. One of the soldiers looked up to the sky, and pointed in terror.

"Oh God, what is that thi—"

_BOOOM_

From the sky, AJ caught a glimpse of an enormous shadow come crashing to the earth, crushing the poor soul who had seen it drop. She shielded her eyes from the onslaught of dust and debris that followed, as she felt the very earth rumble with the impact. It was a hauntingly similar sensation that she had once felt on Russian mountainside, involving one very large, destructive man. When she looked towards the landing site, she half expected to see the Korbalov rise from the dust himself. Yet as the black figure rose in the huge cloud of dust, she realized that its shape was far larger than any person she had ever seen. The monolith released loud creaking and groaning sounds, as if an entire building was on the move instead of a man. Three soldiers stood in front of it, shaking in fear as the ten-foot tall creature fully stood up, its hulking figure nearly blocking out the sun. Two shining beacons of light shone from its eyes, scanning through the crowd of panicked soldiers.

A monstrous boot suddenly burst out of the dust cloud, colliding with a solider and splattering his remains across the floor. The monstrosity then reached behind its back, and pulled out something large and cube shaped. The two soldiers ran away as the cube began to unfold itself, slowly transforming into the shape of a massive hammer, a fitting size for the giant itself. The gargantuan beast, twirled around, and with the built momentum, slammed into the two soldiers at one with the end of the mighty hammer, blasting their bodies apart. It lumbered across the battlefield, picking off any soldiers who happened to come across it. To make matters, a long-range .50 millimeter cannon emerged from its arm, which the hulk used to pick off distracted members from afar.

AJ pushed herself further beneath the platform, hoping to remain hidden from the chaos. Nearly half the soldiers had been wiped out by either the specter or the monstrosity, and the battle still continued on. AJ had never seen such vast destruction caused in such a short time frame. The FA stood no chance. Any shots fired were either dodged entirely, or bounced off of indestructible skin. She heard screams from every which way, including orders by the generals to hold their ground.

One sound quickly rose above the screams: laughter. It wasn't any sort of cheerful laughter that AJ was familiar with. It was a wicked cackle, something much more accustomed to a wicked witch than soldiers on a battlefield. However, the source wasn't from any of the soldiers. It came from up above.

_Whoosh_

A shadow darted through the air above AJ's head. She heard the sputtering sounds of jet engines, followed by the maniacal cackling. A high pitched voice suddenly taunted over the crowd.

"Up above you!"

A pair of soldiers who were tightly held together looked up just in time for a dark grey streak to pass straight through their torsos. Their upper halves fell from their lower halves as the cackling object descended towards the ground. It skid across the ground extremely quickly, before turning itself around entirely, and using its heels to grind to a complete stop.

It was the first of the attackers that AJ was able to see clearly, yet the sight made her wish to look away. The closest thing I could compare it to was a gargoyle, with its muscular yet feminine form, and large, silver wings attached to its back. Its face was completely black, showing its complete lack of emotion or sympathy. Three soldiers ran up to it, and held it at gunpoint from several yards away, not risking getting too close. The gargoyle watched all of this happen before it, tilting its head to the side in curiosity.

That was when the gargoyle did something else unexpected. It bent its knees together, leaning with its chest pushed forward, and let out an erotic moan. It took its hands, and ran them down from its breasts to its hips, purring the entire time.

"Aw… big boys want to play with me?" the gargoyle said in a shaky, yet innocent voice. "I'm so _flattered_. Come on boys: let's _dance_ together."

"Open fire!" The soldiers fired away with everything they had, not taking a second chance. However, before the bullets could strike, the two massive wings folded over in front of the creature, deflecting the shots away. The creature laughed, reached behind its back, and pulled out a sword.

"Men never learn," the winged-beast sighed to itself, before shooting forward like a rocket. It flowed across the ground fluently, as if it was skating across ice. It zoomed past the soldiers, twirling and rotating about in repeated circles. As it took off in the air again, the soldiers coughed up blood, felt their arms and legs detach, and died. The dark angel never stopped laughing its terrible laugh.

AJ could no longer will herself to move. It wasn't out of shock or worry; it was out of plain _fear_. The soldiers had all of the numbers, but they were terribly outmatched. No strikes ever seemed to hit. The specter and the winged-thing moved too quickly to be shot down, and bullets bounced off of the behemoth like tissue paper. As far as AJ knew, no one on Earth could cause that form of destruction in such a short period of time. But then again, the attackers barely seemed human. Their movements, their appearances, and even their weapons seemed artificial or awkward in design, as if they were being jerked around by a benevolent god with little control of their own bodies. Whatever was happening with them, they were the most effective killers AJ had ever witnessed. The specter appeared briefly in front of a general, using the spear to cut his head off before disappearing under the cloak of nothingness. The hulking monstrosity used its massive hands to tear right into a soldier's stomach, before ripping him in two using nothing but its pure strength. The gargoyle kept to the sky, circling around the battle at its high speed. Occasionally, it would swoop down to snatch a helpless soldier, and carry him off towards the sun, where the blinding light blocked out view of its terrible deeds. A shower of blood would shortly follow.

Suddenly, AJ realized that she had an opportunity. There were only a dozen or so soldiers left, and soon, they would most likely be gone as well. If she timed her run correctly, she could make it to the package. It was her only chance left at succeeding. If she was spotted by the soldiers of the attackers, it would be over for her. Regardless of the risk, she couldn't stay behind, lest the specter or gargoyle spot her in her hiding spot. Therefore, AJ proper herself to her knees, and got ready to sprint as fast as she could.

Something stopped her. It was her instincts. They had suddenly delivered her a message: if she ran out, she would die. She needed to wait. Something was wrong with the plan; some unseen variable was at work that could very well spell her doom. Whatever the case was, AJ decided that risking the move would be too dangerous.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for her, she was right. The soldiers, who were shooting randomly and attempting to flee, suddenly came to a halt. They did not move at all. The specter and the behemoth simply looked around confused, as the flying monster continued to circle overhead. The next thing that happened was the soldiers letting out cries of despair, and then slowly rising from the ground. AJ watched in fear as the last remaining soldiers were lifted twenty feet in the air by absolutely nothing, and then, with a brutal snap, had all of their bodies crumpled and twisted at once. Every joint popped at an odd angle, every bone cracked under a strange pressure, every head was spun around to face the opposite direction. And then, just as unceremoniously as they were brought up to the sky, they were dropped. AJ found herself alone with the three monsters.

Except then, AJ noticed, there was a fourth. A final beast that remained almost entirely hidden for the duration of the fight. It was a small human-like man, which floated calmly above the top of the stage. Its legs crossed and fingers pressed against its temples, it hauntingly rested in place, overseeing the entire battlefield.

The gargoyle swooped down from the sky, and picked up one of the deformed bodies. It flew the remains over to the stage, and began shaking them back and forth. It growled, and then turned its head towards the floating man.

"Dammit, Ghost!" it screamed ferociously. "Why did you have to go and do that? I was having _fun_!"

"I thought you might have needed a bit of assistance," replied the haunting man, his voice like a snake. "After all, that one bullet seemed to get rather close to you."

"Bullshit!" screamed the demon. It drew its sword, and pointed it menacingly at the man. The specter materialized next to the gargoyle, and placed a hand on its shoulder.

"Calm down, A," instructed the specter. The gargoyle growled once more, and shrugged off the specter's hand. The monstrous hulk walked over to the stage as well, and for the first time, AJ could finally see the monsters in detail.

The specter seemed masculine in posture, but AJ noticed the specific figure that identified her as female. She wore a black bodysuit, with numerous white straps wrapped around her waist, legs and arms. There was a thick glove only on her left hand; her right hand was something else entirely. It seemed almost metallic, with a shiny black exterior, and long white fingernails. On her palm was a small, spherical object, on which the glaive was attached to, eliminating her need to fully grip the weapon. A black and grey facemask ran up from her neck, stopping just before the eyes. Dark, thin goggles were wrapped around her head, blocking the view of her eyes. The skin atop her head that was visible was white as snow, and her black hair was cut into a mohawk, which was folded over to the right side of her scalp.

The largest of the four was a peculiar sight for AJ. It seemed to be a man at one point, as the shape was similar enough, but he was surrounded by an entire mechanical exoskeleton. The ten-foot tall monster was decorated with various white and red markings across its black exterior. His boots were the size of AJ's entire arm, and his hands were large enough to crush her head with ease. He wore a massive helmet to cover his face, which was curved around the top, and became more like a gas-mask towards his mouth. Instead of eyes, two glowing white slots were plastered into the mold of the face. His base voice was constantly distorted by the mask, always sounding like it was coming through a speaker.

The gargoyle was now fully visible as well, and although she appeared less monstrous, the sight still left a guilty pang in her heart. She wore an identical bodysuit to the specter, but additional straps covered the entirety of her arms and shoulders. She wore no boots, instead revealing two metallic feet; both had only two toes, produced by the appearance of a split in the foot, and a long heel, which resembled that of something belonging to a ball dancer rather than a warrior. Her face was covered by a grey mask which wrapped tightly around her entire head, blocking off all means of identification. However, what sickened AJ the most were the wings. It was beyond a coincidence. They appeared to be exactly the same as the ones that belonged to Fiona Samswell. AJ was forced to shake the rotten memories out of her head. Obviously, it wasn't Fiona underneath the mask. It was an impossibility, for many, _many_ reasons. However, the design of the wings was all too familiar. The only changes to the design was an overall sharper quality to the outside of the wings, an altered angle of their bend, the addition of various thrusters to their base, and most obviously, the fact that they were metallic, just like all the rest. Still, AJ had to look away.

The fourth one was the one that perplexed her the most. Compared to the others, he stuck out oddly against the background. The small man wore a pair of camo pants and a pair of brown boots, none of which were military grade. Also, he wore a dark blue hoodie that possessed a set of pockets, which he used to store his hands. The only thing that made him match the others was the mask blocking his face. However, even that was considerably different than the rest. The mask failed to cover his neck or part of his forehead, exposing his skin to the sun. The guard covering his mouth and nose was painted white, and the glass rectangles which covered his eyes glowed a dark red, despite the fact there seemed to be no reason for them to do so.

Everything about the four was strange. They were unlike any soldiers AJ had known. They're skills in battle were unmatched even by a legion of soldiers, and they're appearance seemed like something from another world. As the four warriors gathered around the package on the stage, AJ suddenly reached a horrifying conclusion.

She was in the terrifying presence of the Four Horsemen.

"So, this is it?" asked the giant man.

"I think so," responded the specter.

"I expected it to be… bigger," said the dark angel.

"It doesn't matter about the size," said the specter. "If The Man with No Name wants it, then it's obviously worth our while."

_The Man with No Name?_ AJ thought to herself. _Who the hell could that be?_

"What should we do with the bodies?" the gargoyle asked, her voice full of lust. "I want to keep one. Last time, you said I could keep one."

"There's no time," the specter said. "A storm is about to hit any second. We need to get out of here."

"But you _said_ I could keep one!" whined the gargoyle. She threw her hands down like a toddler having a temper tantrum. "You _promised _me! Promised promised promised promised _promised_!"

It was at that moment that AJ realized she needed to leave. Borrowing corpses, mad crying, and brutal murders: she was dealing with a world of psychopaths, all of whom could slaughter her in a matter of seconds. There would be no way to get past them. She hurriedly thought up an escape plan, hoping to find shelter somewhere back in the city.

"Wait!" shouted the haunting man. The others went silent. "I heard something."

AJ panicked. Had she moved at all? Whatever the cause was, she managed to attract their attention. She needed to escape, and she needed to do it _now_. Without a second thought, AJ turned around and prepared to run.

She was immediately greeted by two red eyes mere inches in front of her face.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?"

The next few events happened completely out of AJ's control. She was suddenly shot back from underneath the booth, and was thrown onstage in front of the other Horsemen. She screamed as her back collided with the hard stage, sending shockwaves through her system. Suddenly, she felt herself begin to rise off of the stage, floating in midair for the psychopaths to see. She felt her arms and legs being pushed backwards by a powerful force, yet there was nothing there to fight against. She saw the ghostly figure rise from the booth far away, and levitate over to her position. AJ struggled as hard as she could to get away, but to no avail.

"This one overheard our conversation," said the hovering figure. "I heard it echoing throughout her mind. She was going to escape with it."

"Nice job, Ghost," said the specter. "Knock her out and see what she knows."

"Yes ma'am," said the snake-like man, his voice brimming with satisfaction. "Now, be a good girl, and _sleep_."

AJ felt a tremendous pressure on her mind. It seemed like her thoughts were about to cave in on themselves. She thought she heard Rebecca calling out her name, but everything became too hazy to tell. The last thing she remembered before everything turned black was a blast of sand covering the convention site.

AJ's vision faded in and out from darkness. She was only able to make out the faintest details of her environment. She noticed sand flurrying about all around her, yet none of it touched her. Something kept it at bay. Unfortunately, that "something" seemed to be the Four Horsemen, who stood over her and examined her thoroughly.

"Her name is Anna-Jean Samantha Balle," said the ghost-like man. "She's United States special forces, and… hmm, that's interesting. She was a child soldier, who recently had a falling out with her captors. It looks like she's dealt with quite the hardships."

_How does he know that?_ AJ wondered.

"Now she's asking herself how I found out that information," repeated the man immediately. "I guess she wasn't as out cold as I thought. I must be getting sloppy."

"Her skin…" moaned the winged-woman. "Such a beautiful tan. I want to cut into it, see if it looks as good from the _inside_. Heeheeheehee…"

"What was she doing here?" asked the specter. "US soldiers shouldn't be here yet."

"She was apparently going after _that_ package." The man motioned to the behemoth, who had the massive crate slung over his shoulder. "What do you think we should do with her?"

"We should probably just off her now," said the specter. "She's already seen us, and she could report the incident back to the States."

"Don't worry. I took out the cameras attached to her body. If we kill her now, no one will see a thing."

"Sounds good to me," the specter nodded, pulling out her glaive. However, the gargoyle rushed over, and pushed down her comrade's hand.

"No way, Shadow! You gotta let me have her!" she begged. "You already fucked it up before, so why not let me have this one now?"

The gargoyle was forcefully shoved away. "Will you shut up about that already? We're not going to get you a human pet for you to mutilate or whatever it is you plan to do. That's final."

AJ watched hazily as the gargoyle groaned, and stomped her foot angrily against the ground. The large menace spoke up, his voice surprisingly soft.

"Don't worry about, A," he said. "When we get back, you can read some scripture to me. You like doing that."

"Aw, you're so sweet," said the winged-one, latching on to the massive creature's shoulders. "You really know how to treat a maniac. Heeheehee…"

"Ugh, screw this," groaned the specter. "We have things to get done. I'll just kill her now and get it done with. It'll save us a lot of problems in the future."

AJ watched helpless as the woman revved up the glaive, spinning it around on her palm. Slowly, she began to lower her hand towards AJ's stomach. AJ fought to move, but there was no point. She was too tired to do anything. Her muscles refused to listen to her. All she could do was lay back and watch as she was slowly butchered.

"Hold on!" shouted someone from afar. The Horsemen froze in place, looking off to AJ's left. Another person quickly approached their position. It wasn't long until they came into view. AJ could only imagine what would possibly have some form of control over the Horsemen. What kind of monster did it take to reign in such effective killers? When the person stepped into view, however, it was someone much different than she expected. Instead of a lurching, disgusting beast, AJ saw a very human-like woman, who wore normal jeans and a tan jacket. A hood was pulled over the top of her head, and a navy blue scarf was wrapped tightly around her face. All that remained was a pair of piercing green eyes.

"Let me see her for a second." The specter nodded, and backed away from AJ carefully. The woman walked over to AJ, and leaned in close. She stared at her for nearly a minute, saying nothing. AJ tried as hard as she could to stay awake, but she was finding the struggle to become more and more challenging as time progressed. At one point, the woman reached her hand out, hovering it just above AJ's face. For a moment, it seemed like contact would be made. At the last second, she drew her hand back.

"It _is_ you," the woman muttered to herself. AJ saw a flash in her eyes, although she didn't know why. The woman turned to the Horsemen. "Leave her here."

The specter stepped forward. "Are you insane? I could kill her right now if—"

"No!" the new woman shouted ferociously. "Don't you know who this is? She's… well, it's not important. This area's pretty clear of hostiles. She should be able to hold out past the storm. After that, they'll come to take her back to the States."

"Why are you letting this spy live?" asked the ghost-like man. The woman remained quiet for a long moment.

"It's important to me," she answered plainly. She quickly changed the topics. "Did you retrieve the package?"

"I got it right here," stated the mechanical man.

"Then deliver it to its destination. With the help of those scientists you picked up, we should be able to make use of that. And hurry up. The Man with No Name doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Whatever you say, Wolfe," responded the haunting man, giving a small salute. He walked over to the behemoth. "You ready to go."

"Anytime you are." The ghost man raised his arms into the air, and AJ watched as he and the mechanical monstrosity rose high into the air. The specter muttered something to herself, then began to walk away.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she said bitterly. "Archangel, let's ride out."

"On my way," said the winged-being. She turned to AJ, staring longingly at her. A chill ran its way up AJ's spine. Then, the insane woman gave a small wave. "Catch you on the flipside, doll face."

The jets suddenly burst to life, and the gargoyle rocketed towards the sky, twirling around and cackling all the way. Wolfe watched her as she zoomed away, a disgusted gaze present in her eyes. Once the creature was out of sight, she turned back towards AJ. Grabbing the collar of her outfit, she pulled her up so that their faces were mere inches apart from each other. Wolfe focused on AJ's face, as if seeing something out of a dream.

"I found you," Wolfe said, her voice eerily calm. "I _found_ you. You don't know how long I've been searching, how long I've been waiting for the day I could finally see you. For my entire life, I've been thinking about what I would say at this moment. And you know what? I'm _speechless_. Absolutely speechless. You've been trying to push me away for the better part of twenty-three years. But I knew… I _knew_ that we'd meet someday. It's our destiny to meet here, just like it'll be my destiny to finally put a knife in your chest."

Wolfe reached into her pocket, and pulled out a hunting knife. She brandished the blade in front of AJ's eyes, which struggled desperately to focus on anything.

"I can imagine it now: diving this right through your heart, your failure of a life coming to an end. Twenty years of waiting, and I could end it all right _now_. But you know what? I can't do it. No matter how hard I want to, I won't let you die like this: psychologically fucked in the head with no idea where you even are. No… I want to beat you at your _best_. I want to see you fight your goddamn heart out, and try to kill me with everything you have. I want to know that when I finally drag this blade across your chest… I did it while proving that _I_ am better than _you_."

AJ was dropped from Wolfe's grasp, and fell back against the cold ground. Wolfe stood up, and gazed out towards the storm. All of the strength had been drained from her body, and there was little purpose in fighting back anymore.

"Try not to die, AJ," Wolfe said as darkness overtook her. "I wouldn't want anyone _else_ to get the pleasure of ending you."

**09 June, 2025**

AJ awoke with a start. She sat up on the medical table quickly, and looked around in a panic. Her breathing was heavy and erratic.

"Whoa, calm down," Rebecca screamed, throwing her hands in the air. "It's all cool. You're safe now."

AJ's body was shaking. The last she remembered, someone was talking to her about the end of her life. Now, she was in a brightly lit medical room, with Rebecca on her left, and Doctor Hart on her right. Both appeared very startled by her crazed behavior.

"What… where did I… how..." AJ asked repeatedly.

"After the storm hit, we managed to send in an emergency rescue team to the site," Rebecca explained. "You don't have any serious injuries. It's all cool."

"They… they were like demons or something," AJ stammered. "Forty men… _gone_. Like they were nothin' at all."

"AJ, take some deep breaths," Hart said, trying to calm her patient down. However, AJ would have none of it, not after what she had experienced. She had witnessed the living representations of hell itself, and she needed to learn _how_.

"Did you find them?" AJ asked, worriedly. Rebecca said nothing. "Dash, did you find them? Where did they run off to with that crate? And the scientists too, they said that they had 'em! You saw the footage, right? You know where they were and where they went."

Rebecca took a deep breath. At once, AJ's heart broke. "Look, we saw whatever you saw live. That's good, but the thing is… all of the footage of those weird soldier guys was completely wiped out. I… I don't know how, but somehow, all of the footage that's supposed to be archived has been entirely deleted. The only image we have left is of that woman's face. The one in with the scarf. Other than that… there's no recorded evidence of their existence."

"How is that possible?" AJ asked. A million questions were circulating around her mind. "I thought that footage was supposed to be recorded and stored here at all times. There aint no way that the footage of them was deleted."

"Look, I don't know what the fuck happened either," Rebecca admitted. AJ could tell by the sound of her voice that she was scared deep down by the recent events as well. "We're devoting everyone we know to find out who those four soldiers were."

"They _weren't_ soldiers," AJ repeated. "I've never seen a soldier like that before. There was somethin'… I don't know, _wrong_ with 'em, like they weren't even real people. Bullets just bounced off of them like nothing, and they moved so damn _fast_. They killed everyone, Dash, and they laughed as they did it. It was… it was like bein' in a nightmare you can't up from."

AJ clenched her fists. There was no rational thinking that could explain what she had seen. The Four Horsemen weren't human beings to her: they were real-life demons, monsters that she could never defeat. She was supposed to be the greatest soldier alive. Yet, on June 8th, 2025, she was proved wrong.

"Dash…" AJ said. All of the faith in herself was lost. Deep inside, she felt sick and empty. "... what the hell _were_ those things?"

**Operation Lost Dog: Complete**

**Act I: Concluded**

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><p><strong><strong>Note: We at GodSaveTheKings greatly appreciate any and all feedback, so feel free to comment on the story. Everything we receive exponentially helps the writing process.<strong>**


	5. Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen (Br)

**An Important Note from GodSaveTheKings: We at GodSaveTheKings would like to thank all of the readers for the wonderful feedback so far. It truly means a lot to us that people are embracing the story so quickly and so positively. Unfortunately, we are here to announce that, temporarily, we will be putting the story on hold, or at least, we plan to. Yes, we know that the time between releases is already frustratingly long. Yes, we are aware the story has just begun, and it seems ridiculous to stop things now that they've finally started . However, we should clarify the situation at hand. We plan to follow the same release schedule with the rest of Act II, which is close to completion at the time of writing this. Afterwards, we are planning on taking a short hiatus while we commence work on another project outside of MLP. Honestly, things weren't supposed to go this way, but some major events happened recently that we feel like we have to address. We don't have a planned return date, but it will take till the end of January for the rest of Act II to come out (once that is through, the story will almost be halfway done, if you can believe it). By then, we hope to have more details available. Until that point, enjoy the holidays and the second act of From the Ashes.**

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><p><strong>Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen<strong>

**Mission Briefing**

**11 June, 2025**

**Los Angeles, California**

"Yes, I understand the circumstances," Rebecca groaned into her phone. She was currently experiencing the worst part of her job: sitting behind a cluttered desk, and hearing someone with more power nag at her on the phone. There were so many better things she could have been doing. She could have gone to the beach, or hung out with Jamie, or check in on AJ's recovery. It was during these times that she regretted every decision she had ever made in her life.

"Yes, I understand that the hostages are gone," she repeated. "If I knew where they went, I would have told you. I've had people checking over every single goddamn piece of intel we have. There are no answers. Ugh… I'm working with fucking idiots—what, no! I didn't swear at you. Just… ergh… ah, screw it."

Rebecca slammed the phone on the desk, and then proceeded to slam her head down as well. Her frustration had reached a boiling point. She knew for a fact that if she could be court martialed for failing a black ops assignment, she would have been. The years of fighting and screaming had built a wall of everlasting dissidence inside of her mind. She would have feared it transforming into paranoia, but she probably would have already snapped and murdered someone by that point.

There was a knocking on her office door. In some regard, Rebecca was thankful just to _have_ an office. There was a lengthy period of her life, roughly twelve years, that she expected to go absolutely nowhere in the world. She especially did not expect to end up with her own office at a military base. She did not even know that military bases _had_ offices. Apparently they did, because she had decorated it to her own accord. A once boring desk was hooked up with many pictures of her with medals or friends, or sometimes medals _and_ friends. Her crummy, busted computer had been swapped with the second-latest Apple product that was four times as cheap and twice as efficient. She had even set up a dart board on the back of the door, in which she spent countless hours throwing sharp objects and preying no one was ever unlucky enough to barge in.

That reminded her: someone was knocking at the door.

"Yeah, come in," Rebecca shouted, although she did not sound happy about talking to anyone. The door creaked open, and the small, shy head of Jamie Robinson peered through. Rebecca pointed back at the door. "Scoots, not now."

"I heard you yelling," said Jamie, her voice as small as she was. "Is everything alright in here?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Rebecca sneered sarcastically. "It's all fucking sunshine and rainbows here. In fact, I've never been happier. I'm in a permanent state of fucking euphoria, and it makes me so goddamn fucking happy I could cry."

Jamie pouted. "You know that I don't like it when you curse all the time."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me fix that. Ahem… please get the eff out of my eff'in office before I take my G.D. boot and kick your B.A. the eff of my-G.D.-self. Dig?"

Jamie sighed, and pushed the door open fully. It was rather late in the day, a time when a young cadet probably should have been planning on going home. However, Jamie was still in her fatigues. It was something Rebecca admired about her: she showed a dedication and commitment to her work unlike anyone else she had ever known.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong? You know, except the obvious stuff." Jamie leaned against the desk. She wasn't going anywhere.

"'Except the obvious stuff'? You clearly underestimate the power of one military fuc—uh, screw up. It's unbelievable how much blame some people are willing to put on others."

"But none of it's your fault. I mean, you weren't even the one who _went_ to Egypt."

"The strategy behind the plan was the problem. They're calling it reckless—even though, it probably would have worked if it wasn't for those freaks in the masks."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Jamie said, her eyes lighting up. "Did you manage to find anything on them?"

"Why do think I'm so pissed off?"

"For the reasons you just _told_ me?"

"Aside from that," Rebecca groaned. "Look, I get that people are upset when you can't provide any information, but this is unreal. You would think that the US government—the one group of people who gather _too_ much information—could find something out about a pack of mercenaries. And somehow, there's nothing but a poem. I don't even _like_ poetry! No offense."

"None taken. It's an acquired taste. But… didn't you get an image of someone from what was left of the camera feeds?"

"According to AJ, it wasn't one of the Horsemen," Rebecca stated somberly. "No one seems to be taking any interest in it either. To them, details aren't important. It's all just things that'll be wrapped up in a confidential file later, and sent off to a warehouse in the middle of Wyoming."

Jamie scrunched her face together, a sign Rebecca recognized as her friend brainstorming.

"You know, if a standard military data search isn't working out... then maybe something more informal will," Jamie said slyly. Unfortunately, the Major knew exactly what she was going to suggest, which meant that she would have to say something about it. She had been trying to postpone her news all day, which had mostly been successful. But now, being directly faced with it, she had no other option.

"Scoots, there's something I need to tell you…"

"Just wait," Jamie said, tapping her fingers against the desk. "I was thinking: there's only so much space a formal search would cover. They'd probably only check places that are reliable sources. If the Four Horsemen are really a myth though, information won't _be_ in a formal location."

"I think you're missing the point—"

"Hear me out! Look, when I go home tonight, I'm gonna search around the web. We live in the twenty-first century. I know a bunch of crazy conspiracy websites that some friends of mine used to look at back in middle school when that stuff was cool. Someone out there has to have _some _info about it. When I get back tomorrow, we can talk over it with AJ, too. I could be like some awesome computer guide to help solve this case—"

"Jamie, shut up," Rebecca said sternly. The young girl quieted. She was almost never called by her real name. She noticed that her mentor looked absolutely heart-broken.

"You've improved a lot since I met you," Rebecca said earnestly. "I think you're a great person, and I'm sure that you would be able to contribute a lot to this investigation. I really wish you could. It's just… with all the shit that I'm getting for this, and the severity of it all, given the hostages and the Horsemen and all the political crap being thrown around… I think it's better if you just stay out of it."

Jamie stared at her superior quizzically. She opened her mouth, then scrunched her face, closed her mouth, re-opened it, stammered awkwardly for a few seconds, and then finally managed to spit out, "What…you can't… I… are you fucking _kidding_ me?"

"Wait, what happened to no cursing?"

"That's not important now!" Jamie shouted furiously. "What the hell, Maj!? You can't just drop me like I'm some lost puppy at a shelter."

"I'm trying to help you out," Rebecca argued. "We are facing a high-priority situation. Hell, I used the word 'severity' a minute ago, and I barely know what that means! You're not getting dragged into this."

"Then why am I even here for?" Jamie asked desperately. "I thought you wanted me to experience things like this! Isn't that what a being a soldier is about: fighting for something even though the odds are against you?"

"You are a goddamn Private, Robinson! There's a difference between piloting a drone through Afghanistan and interfering with a black-ops job involving rogue PMC's and mythological creatures of death. Given the amount of backlash I'm getting for this, I'd think you'd _want_ to be left out of it."

"I don't give up on things, remember? Don't you even remember why I decided to do this work in the first place? You can't just kick me out like this!"

Rebecca stood up from her desk, and met Jamie's gaze. The young girl looked as if she was about to cry. "Scoots, I'm sorry, but I can't afford to get you caught up in this. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to request your transfer. After this all blows over, I'll try to get you sent back here. Sorry."

Rebecca walked calmly out of the room. Jamie yelled after her, her cries slowly becoming more desolate as they became farther apart.

"Major, you can't just do this to me! We're supposed to be a team! You need to help me out here! Major? Rebecca… come on… dammit…"

Jamie forcefully kicked the wall, and then stormed away. Rebecca didn't look back. She felt awful about herself, but it needed to be done. She knew what happened when the inexperienced were brought in to do dangerous work. She refused to let anyone else die for a cause that she didn't understand. These thoughts floated in her mind as she left her office, a hopped in her car, and drove down to the infirmary building. It took another fifteen minutes to sort out the necessary release paperwork and wait for her client to walk down to her. When AJ finally did appear before her, she appeared wary. A high silver boot was on her right leg.

"What's with the look?" AJ asked nonchalantly.

"Not important," Rebecca sneered. "How much sleep have you gotten?"

"Less than I'd like. Why'd ya ask?"

"Because I want you to be awake. We're going out tonight."

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Are we going back to that Mediterranean place? No offense, but that wasn't exactly my kind of food."

"Hell no," Rebecca said with a devious smirk. "I need to relieve some stress, and there's really only one legal way I know how to do it. Get something decent on. We're going _out_."

* * *

><p>The beer trickled gently down AJ's throat. Soon the container was completely empty, and she let out a happy sigh. Rebecca, who sat next to her at the bar, let out a cheer.<p>

"D-damn girl!" she shouted, uncaring of who heard. "You mow through t-those like hell! I'm impressed, you little country fuck."

"N-now, hold… up a second," AJ stuttered, pointing her finger accusingly. "I am _not_ a c-country gal. For your information, I was raised in the fine state of Illinois. That's sure as hell a lot better than New Jersey."

"I'm from Detroit you idiot… at least, I think so," Rebecca rattled her brain for a moment, but couldn't think of anything. It only depressed her for a moment, as soon, she was shouting once more in bliss. "Man, I love alcohol! I love being over twenty-one! This is why this fucking country is so great! All you need to stop worrying about shit is a bottle of this, and a good attitude."

"Yeah," AJ said fondly. "It almost makes you forget how much we hate everyone."

"Mmhmm," Rebecca moaned. She called to the bartender. "Yo, bud! More drinks over here!" She paused, suddenly becoming complacent. "Hey AJ… you don't think that hating everyone makes us cynical, right? Like… we're not a bunch of anti-social pricks just because we don't like most people, are we?"

"Wha—no, o-of course not," AJ brushed off the topic. "We could all have a ton of friends if we wanted to. I mean, I was never real good at talking to people, but you got plenty of friends. Hell, you got Jamie, and that's pretty solid." The drinks arrived in front of them, and were quickly gulped down.

"Yeah, that's right," Rebecca smiled to herself. However, the smile quickly faded as memories returned to her. "Oh dammit, I forgot: Jamie's getting transferred elsewhere tomorrow."

"Why's that? Can't you stop it?"

"I was the one who suggested doing it. I've got nothing against her, it's just… ya know, I don't want anything bad happening to her. The only thing that girl wants is to be a soldier. God forbid something goes wrong and we all get publically blamed for it. I would just hate to see her heart get broken like that."

"What the hell could possibly go wrong? She's safe and secure right over here."

"I'm not taking any chances," Rebecca stated. "We're dealing with some freaky shit. Those Horsemen and whatever… who knows what they are or what they want? What if, like, they traced you back here and show up one day. Besides, they scare the hell out of me."

"That's not easy to pull off," AJ admitted. It was amazing to her how they had gone drinking to get away from their problems, and yet here they were, chatting about it in a public tavern like it was nothing. She was thankful everyone else around them was so drunk not to care about what they were saying. She supposed that, while they were on the topic, she might as well ask what was bothering her for the past several hours. "Have you managed to get an ID on that Wolfe girl?"

Rebecca glared at her friend, so beyond annoyed at her persistence to speak about the unspeakable. "It's not that easy. Most of her face was completely obscured."

"Not all of it. I've seen her eyes, remember?" AJ reminded her. Rebecca let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, you're right. That should limit our choices down to about two percent of the population. I wonder how many of the millions of green-eyed white chicks it could possibly be."

"You're such a buzzkill."

"Well, you were the one who brought it up!" Rebecca threw her arms in the air defensively. "Anyway, how's your leg feeling?"

"Pretty damn good. Whatever the hell this boot thing is, it feels _really_ good."

"It's called a dampening-hydro…something or other. All I know is that you get all numb and tingly and you heal in half the time. God, I love technology. I love America!" Rebecca thrust her arms in the air victoriously.

"You said that already!" AJ shouted, raising her arm as well. She wondered: was that what fun was? Actual, true, honest, genuine _fun_? It felt different than the usual adrenaline high she experienced during an intense battle. It wasn't so much in her blood, but in her chest instead. She would have liked to hang onto the moment for future reference, but unfortunately, her mind was not in the proper state for it.

"Hey, you know what we should do?" Rebecca said confidently. "We should go out and find some guys to hang out with. I haven't gotten laid in like… I don't even know."

"No way," AJ shook her head rapidly, becoming very dizzy in the process. "I'm not gonna 'hook up' with some random stranger. Besides, we got too much to do."

"Do you think we're going to stop here? We are going for a night on the _town_, girlfriend! I mean, we are both two very attractive people, and there is a flurry of crazy teen boys who are looking for some fun. I doubt you'd even know what that feels like, being so vastly inexperienced and all."

"That's it. We're done talking 'bout this," AJ said firmly.

"Oh come on!" Rebecca pleaded. AJ placed her hands over her ears.

"Nanananana!" she said loudly. Her friend continued to taunt her.

"Don't you want to see some sensual dancing? Feel some warm bodies up against yours?"

"La dee da dee da…"

"So many chiseled abs and biceps... they just make you want to _scream_!"

"Shut up, I don't care. Shut up, I don't care."

Rebecca groaned in defeat, and gave AJ a light shove in retaliation. "Fine, forget about. Let's just wallow in our sorrows of being the two loneliest women on the face of the earth."

_Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt_

The smartphone in Rebecca's pocket began to annoyingly buzz. She figured that it was mostly likely Jamie trying to convince her to change her mind. It wasn't exactly something that the Major was in the mood for listening to. She whipped the phone out of her pocket, and without so much as a second glance, she denied the call. She quickly shoved it back into her pocket.

"Hope that wasn't your date," AJ joked, removing her hands from her ears.

"Eh, it doesn't matter anyway," Rebecca regretfully sighed. "It probably be more fun hanging out with you. Guys, _especially_ LA guys, are dicks: always stepping on your feet, walking around without their shirts on, rubbing themselves against slutty nineteen year-olds. Disgusting."

"If only Rachel had heard you say that."

"Fuck Rachel! If she hasn't had the decency to call in half a decade, then to hell with her!"

"Hey, go easy on her. She's been having a hard time recently."

_Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt_

Rebecca groaned again, and grabbed her smartphone. She grumbled angrily to herself, slammed her finger on the screen as hard as she could, and placed the phone on the counter.

"What 'hard time' could she possibly have?" Rebecca asked bitterly. "Let's do a quick run-down: she looks like a Greek god, she's the smartest person we know, has a trillion doctorates, she knows martial arts, and she talks in a British accent. That is _literally_, like, the perfect example of a human being."

"Well… I don't know… she probably doesn't have too many friends. It's probably pretty lonely being so… Rachel-like."

"I swear to God… if she ends up killing herself… I just don't even know anymore. I need another drink, maybe some weed. There's a place a few blocks down from here that sells. I haven't tried it, but… who honestly gives a fuck?"

"C-count me out of that," AJ shook her head. "Not my style."

"It was just a suggestion. We really don't have to do anything except stay here—"

_Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt_

"Goddammit!" Rebecca screamed furiously. She snatched her phone from the table, stared at the displayed ID, and began yelling. "Won't you leave me alone for one second!? Can't you see I'm trying to have a little fun!?"

Suddenly, her eyes went wide. She froze in place, doing nothing except staring at the identification. The listed name and number sent shivers down her spine, and painful memories through her head. Noticing that her friend had stopped talking, AJ leaned over, and examined the phone. Although the lettering was blurry, it only took her a few seconds to make out what the text said. In that instant, her questions became caught in her throat. It seemed unreal, yet there the words were, staring right back at her with absolute clarity.

The text read: _Tara Sullivan, 888-417-0286_

"D-dash?" AJ asked nervously. "Is that actually—"

AJ was quickly cut off when Rebecca accepted the call, and practically threw the phone against her ear. "H-h-hello? _Hello_?" A deep, distorted, garbled voice answered.

"Are you the one who harbors Agent Dawn?"

Rebecca gritted her teeth together. She felt like an idiot. What was she expecting? An actual call from the dead: the notion was ridiculous. At the very least, the sheer shock of the call managed to sober her up quite a bit. Unfortunately, that just made her angrier.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you get this number?" she asked in a harsh whisper.

"I have my ways," said the indistinct voice. "Don't worry… I'm a friend. I'm here to help you and Agent Dawn redeem yourself after your little… well, _failure_ in Cairo."

"How do you know about that? Who _are_ you? Answer the question, dammit."

"I'll explain in due time. But first, you two need to get to a secluded location. I wouldn't want anybody overhearing our conversation. I recommend you hurry. I'm not going to get away talking to you for long. Oh, and you can call me… Neptune."

Rebecca growled audibly into the phone. "And why the hell should I trust you? Why the fuck would I ever take a chance on a voice over the phone."

"Simple," said Neptune. "I can tell you who the Four Horsemen are."

AJ, who had been closely listening to the conversation, gave Rebecca a wayward look, which was quickly returned. The Four Horsemen: the most dangerous people on the planet. The mercenaries were shrouded in mystery and paranoia, with the only proof to their unholy existence being a poem, and some three thousand dead. No one in the world knew who they were or why they acted like they did.

And now, they were being promised answers.

"I'll be awaiting your call," said Neptune, before abruptly hanging up. The two soldiers sat at the bar in silence. Neither of them had any idea what to do. It wasn't until several minutes had passed that Rebecca finally sighed, and stood up.

"Come on," she said. "We're going to my office. No one would be able to listen there."

"Are you sure we can trust Neptune?" AJ asked. "Somethin' about him… I don't know what, but he sounded like he was trying to hide something. Why wouldn't he bother saying his name to us?"

"That's what we're gonna find out. I hope you can still walk straight long enough to go a few blocks down the harbor."

Rebecca walked out of the bar before AJ even had a chance to speak again. To her, there were no possible objections. Whoever Neptune was, he stepped over the one personal boundary that she held close to her heart. That alone made it worth finding the answers, even if they were something she never wanted to hear.

* * *

><p><em><strong>International News Broadcast: Breaking The Latest Top Stories<strong>_

_**Battles Rage in Cairo:**__** The war between the Firman Allah Alliance and the Egyptian military forces has stretched out into its third day. Local authorities claim to have the situation under control, and have evacuated the civilians inland. This is only one of the many attempted takeovers by Firman Allah since its inception, although officials state they are surprised by the terrorists' decision to attack a nation so closely aligned with western powers. The attack occurred during the middle of the recent scientific trip to Cairo, which was designed to support peace in the Middle East. Further reports have stated that the members of the committee were evacuated late last night, and are currently in a safe location.**_

_**Striking Out:**__** Major League Baseball player Ricky Hervas has been charged guilty of assault and battery, after lashing out against a fan who threw an insult at him from the crowd. Surveillance cameras picked up the incident after Hervas struck out at a home game several months ago. In the video, you can clearly see Hervas running up to the fan, who was seated directly behind the dugout, and tossing him over the railing, before beating on him several times with his fists. Hervas has been charged with six months in county jail, with bail set at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.**_

_**The Long Struggle:**__** As the tensions in the Middle East rise, Russia and the United States have made a ground-breaking deal to maintain peace between the two nations as struggles arise. A new treaty was signed last night guaranteeing an absolute peace between the two nations until further tensions have decreased. The treaty has left parties on both sides relieved, but not everyone is happy. It was the same treaty that, just last week, Congress had refused to pass by a shocking majority vote. There has been no word as to whether Congress will act against the President's wishes, or if Russia has agreed to send supplies over to Western allies in the Middle East at all.**_

* * *

><p>Rebecca clicked on the small lamp by her desk, illuminating her office in a dull, yellow light. AJ pressed a cool towel against her forehead, while simultaneously downing a cup of coffee. The polarizing sensation was strange, but at the very least, she was awake enough to pay attention to what was going on. Rebecca laid her cell phone flat on her desk, and stared at it.<p>

"Aren't ya going to call?" asked AJ. Rebecca shrugged.

"I just have a very bad feeling that once I call, something is going to blow up," said the Major.

"You need to stop worrying about it. Want a sip of the coffee?"

"Nah… I think the energy drinks I downed in the car will be fine."

There was another bout of silence that lasted for several seconds. AJ groaned.

"Fuck it. I'm calling," she said, reaching for the phone. However, her friend hurriedly snatched the device from the desk, and held it close. "Rebecca, stop stalling."

"I know, I know," Rebecca complained. "It's just weird to call that number after all this time." She unlocked her phone, and began scrolling through her list of contacts. She eventually found the haunting name, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she delivered the call. She set the device on speaker, and set it back down on the desk. The phone rang three times, and then there was a heavy burst of static. A distorted voice came through.

"Are you all alone?" asked Neptune skeptically.

"It's just me and Dawn," Rebecca stated truthfully. "Now, tell us: who the hell are you _actually_?"

"Whoa! I'm not telling you my actual name. Are you kidding? If this were to somehow get out… just call me Neptune. We can avoid a whole lot of trouble that way."

"Then how are we supposed to trust you at all?" AJ asked.

"Hmm, you must be Dawn," said Neptune. "Look, I understand that it'll be hard to believe me, but I _am_ trying to help you. I can't tell you my name, but I _can_ tell you that I am a member of Silver Hounds."

"Silver Hounds, huh?" said AJ. "So that means that you were in Cairo a couple of days ago."

"Yes I was, under direct orders to secure a certain package from a certain scientist convention. I assume you know how that turned out?"

Images of bodies and demonic figures flash through AJ's mind.

"More or less."

"So… does that mean you've also had a hand in kidnapping those scientists as well?" Rebecca asked sternly.

"My unit did," said Neptune. "I… didn't want to be a part of it after that. I joined because I was expelled from my home country and wanted to make a difference as a soldier. I never wanted to harm innocents. Hell, I barely even know why most of them are being held in the first place. I'm sorry I ever got involved."

"Where are they being held? We'd be able to launch a rescue mission if you tell us where they are?"

Neptune paused. He sounded uncomfortable. "I… don't think that would be possible. I'm familiar with United States policies on foreign operations. There's so much red tape regarding the Middle East that no one could possibly be expected to get through it. The thing is: Silver Hounds doesn't have those same restrictions. With a few simple bargains, we can build a base in any country we please. Since the last thing we needed was for an American operative to attempt to rescue the hostages, we sent them off, along with our bosses, to the one place where no one would ever go."

"You've… you've gotta be fucking kidding me…" Rebecca moaned. She slammed her fist against the desk furiously. There was no doubt in her mind as to where Neptune was referring to. The one place on the planet that interfering in would cause not just war among nations, but possible nuclear destruction. It was the most dangerous territory on the entire planet, as far as she was concerned. And, of course, it happened to be the one place they needed to go to the most.

Rebecca chose her words very carefully. "How… the hell… did you get permission… to build a stronghold… in fucking _Iran_?"

"As I said: bargains," Neptune stated plainly.

"You're not really making this easy on us," Rebecca groaned. She noticed AJ seemed slightly puzzled, and so she elaborated. "Iran's got nukes. If we challenge their government, they'll probably launch nukes. If anyone asks them for help that they don't want, they'll probably launch nukes. If someone so much as sneezes in their direction, they'll launch a damn nuke. It's like dealing with the most tempered child in the world… just with nukes. The thing is: they don't have any real allies. Which means that something pretty damn important must have been offered to them."

"Look, I don't know The Man with No Name's methods. I just know that he's very persuasive in his actions."

"Wait!" AJ interrupted. "The Man with No Name. That was the same person I heard of back in Cairo."

"I'm not surprised," said Neptune. "The Man with No Name is the head of Silver Hounds. He has to be one of the most talented fighters I've ever seen. I have to say that even _I'm_ impressed in the efficiency of his kills. I'm not sure when he founded Silver Hounds, but I do know that everybody listens to what he says. It's impossible to cross him without being taken down."

"Is that why you're hiding your identity?" asked AJ.

"Who wouldn't in my position? Now shouldn't be as much of a problem, though. He's currently out investigating a nearby town. Even still, I wouldn't want one of the Horsemen to hear me."

"The Horsemen are _there_?" Rebecca asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. A ton of our members got shipped out to Iran with the Boss and the hostages. Of course, since it's such a dangerous place, the Four Horsemen came along too. I doubt they'd want to miss out on a paycheck."

Rebecca and AJ shared a quizzical glance. A paycheck? All of this careless destruction was for a paycheck?

"I don't get it," AJ said. "I thought the Horsemen were an unstoppable group of warriors. They seemed more like spirits than mercenaries. Why the hell would they be reined in by something so trivial?"

"Oh right, I forgot that you didn't know anything about them. My mistake," said Neptune with a slight chuckle. "Look… the Four Horsemen aren't vengeful spirits or anything like that. I've gotten a couple of up-close glances at them. They may be unlike any other soldiers, but I can say, with absolute certainty, that the Four Horsemen are _human_. Or… at least they were at some point. They mainly keep to themselves, but occasionally, they wander about the base or are talking to the Boss. Hell… I've even _talked_ to one of them before. It was like a bad dream, and by the end of it I thought they were going to kill me, but I actually managed to hold a conversation for a few seconds."

"Bullshit," AJ declared. "Who the hell would you have talked to? I've seen what those freaks can do. They butchered everyone they came across. Hell, one of 'em even talked about keepin' people locked up as pets."

"That wasn't true, what she was saying," Neptune said quickly. "Archangel has a tendency to… lose herself. She's never actually done something like that… I mean, as far as I know. Actually, with all of them… you know what? Let me show you…"

Neptune went silent. The two soldiers waited patiently for his return. However, something else came to greet them: a series of images. With curiosity, Rebecca opened up the set, and was greeted with some of the most out-of-focus pictures she had ever seen in her life. Most of them were taken at odd angles, and only contained a snippet of an arm or part of the face or something else with a metallic, silver tint. Yet, even with only the faintest details, AJ immediately recognized the shapes. In her mind, the shadows formed together as the perfect pieces of a puzzle. Without a doubt, they were broken images of the members of the Four Horsemen. Neptune wasn't lying to them after all.

"Shadow. Judgment. Archangel. Ghost."

Four words for four monsters. AJ sneered.

"That's what they call themselves," Neptune explained. "Rumor has it that they once had real names too. No one really knows anything about their past except for what we can guess. Since they all have American accents, I guess they came from the US, or hell, maybe even Canada. It's not important. What is important is how they ended up. Those pictures I sent you is evidence of what I'm about to say, because I _know_ you won't believe me otherwise. I didn't believe myself until I saw. Since the Horsemen were hired by the Boss, I've noticed something strange about them: they all used some kind of mechanical enhancements to fight better. I'm sure, Dawn, that you have seen this for yourself. But the thing is… that kind of technology doesn't exist yet. At least, I didn't think so. And then, when I looked closer, I noticed that the augments were perfectly molded to the shape of their bodies. It would be impossible for them to take something like that on and off. Basically, what I'm trying to say is… although I think the Horsemen _were_ human at some point… they aren't anymore."

The sentence took a moment to register fully. AJ wasn't entirely as shocked as she thought she would be. It was most likely the first-hand terror that she experienced in Cairo that lowered her expectations. She had never thought of the Horsemen as people anyway.

However, to Rebecca Dawson, it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

"Are… are you for real right now!?" she shouted in glee, laughing so hard that her sides began to hurt. "I mean… let's slow down for a second. I am willing to accept some pretty fucking weird shit, okay? Like, I can't tell you what specifically, but I'm pretty sure that there aren't many things left to surprise me. However… haha!" Rebecca stifled her laughter poorly. "H-however… y-you're trying to tell me… the monsters that attacked my friend… are fucking _cyborgs_. B-U-L-L shit!"

"Dash, it doesn't matter _what_ they are," AJ said, not amused. "If these bastards have killed thousands of people, I wouldn't bother doubting the only reliable source we have on them right now."

"You can't be serious?" Rebecca said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I mean, I'm willing to buy any sort of—" Rebecca leaned in close, and whispered. "—Macer shit in the world. At least that was some science-y top secret government project. Now, I _am_ the top-secret government project. And I can say, with no doubt whatsoever, that no one has the technology to build a goddamn android ninja warrior thing."

"Well, it _is_ the future after all," AJ quoted. "We got lots of new toys now. Who says robots aint one of them."

Rebecca smiled bitterly. She hated when people used her own words against her. She would have thrown a fist if her body wasn't still shaking from excessive giggles.

"Hey! Is everything alright over there?" Neptune asked worriedly. "Have we been compromised?"

Suddenly, the girls remembered that they were part of a three-way conversation.

"Yeah, it's all cool," Rebecca said, trying to regain her composure. "So, your boss and the robot warriors from outer space are in Iran. What are your coordinates?"

"I'll send them to you once the call ends. Are you planning a rescue op?"

"Maybe. I'll have to make some phone calls, but I might be able to send in a solo agent within three days."

"Are ya talkin' about me?" AJ asked drearily. "Cuz I aint especially keen on going to see those freaks again. Besides, if this is a rescue mission, then I don't see how I could do it alone."

"That's why I'm hoping our little friend Neptune here will be able to work something out," Rebecca said with a smirk. "Maybe, he might be able to gather a little resistance and charter a plane. They had to transport the hostages somehow."

"That'll be tough with the Horsemen around," said Neptune. "Still, I think I might be able to arrange something for you. Just give me a few hours and… oh shit, I think Ghost is onto me! He's looking suspicious of something."

"Wait, Neptune! One last thing," AJ called. "Who the hell is this 'Wolfe' person, and why the hell is she so damn interested in me?"

"Wolfe?" Neptune said in disbelief. "No one ever really sees her walking around. She works directly for the Boss, never leaves his side. She's like his bodyguard or protégé or something. The Horsemen are one thing, but Wolfe is a damn menace in her own right. If _she's_ hunting after you… shit, he's coming this way! I'll send you whatever information I can about the Horsemen soon. I'll be in touch."

There was a final burst of static, and then the call was ended. AJ leaned against the desk, her face displaying her inquisitive nature. Rebecca sat down in her chair, and stared at the ceiling.

"So… what exactly was this plan you had in mind?" AJ asked.

"Something I'd rather not think about right now," Rebecca admitted. "It's a long shot that it would even get approved. The only reason I'm banking on it is the idiots' desires to get whatever was in that damn package."

"Yeah. Cool," AJ said softly. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Wolfe, and what Neptune had said about her. She had seen the Four Horsemen's destructive capability in action. If she was a menace compared to them, how exactly strong was she? What business did she have with her? Why did she let her live in Cairo when she could have easily ended all of the problems right then and there? At that moment, AJ decided that, if the circumstances were to arrive, she would travel to Iran, not to stop Silver Hounds and the Horsemen, but to get to the bottom of this eternal mystery that plagued her mind.

"Man, I'm so tired," Rebecca yawned. "Once I get home, I'll probably pass out for, like, an hour. I really shouldn't drink—hey…"

Rebecca leaned forward, and listened carefully to her environment. AJ opened her mouth, but the Major brushed a finger to her own lips. She was positive that she heard movement. No one ever tried to walk by her office; her fellow soldiers knew better than to do that. There were only two logical explanations. The first was that she had just heard the wind against her window, and everything was fine. That, however, led to the problem that he thought the noise came from _inside_ the building. That, of course, led to the second option:

Someone was listening in on them.

Slowly, Rebecca rose from her seat, and tiptoed to the door. Her feet pressed lightly against the floor as to avoid making any noise. For a moment, she considered grabbing the gun hidden under her desk. After careful thought and process of elimination, she realized that she didn't need it. AJ pressed herself tightly against the wall, preparing for the worst. Rebecca placed her ear to the door, and listened. Someone was definitely on the other side. She took a step back from the door, and grabbed onto the handle.

In a flash, she flung the door wide open, and snatched the wrist of the tiny individual who was trying to run away. Rebecca brought one hand to the young girl's collar, and dragged her forcibly to the desk. She slammed her face down lightly against the wood.

"Scoots, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Rebecca asked angrily. Jamie squirmed desperately to get free, but to no avail. She nervously glanced back and forth between the two elder women, realizing in a panic that either of them could kill her, and both of them were mad.

"I… uh… had to search for, uh… one of my contacts?" Jamie stated with no sincerity in her words.

"You don't wear contacts," said Rebecca matter-of-factly.

"Uh… I just started today?"

"How much of that conversation did you just hear?" asked AJ distrustfully.

"Oh, that?" Jamie stammered. "N-none of it—I mean, not really all, or _any_, maybe just a bit a-at the end—"

Rebecca growled, making her student rescind her words.

"Okay, okay!" she shouted honestly. "I heard the whole thing with the cyborgs and the PMCs and the Iran and stuff, but I didn't mean to, okay? It was just a mistake! I was only going to come back here and ask Maj to change her mind and I was nervously waiting in my bed and I decided to stop by but you'd already started talking so I couldn't just _enter_ cuz that's be wrong and… and… oh God, please don't kill me."

AJ and Rebecca shared a questioning look. They didn't need words to understand each other, and Jamie didn't need too long to understand them either. They were judging her fate. Logically, they wouldn't kill her (although Rebecca was prone to do some unpredictable and reckless things). The worst case scenario was her expulsion from the armed forces, which to her, might as well have been death. Best case scenario, they would have been completely cool with it.

Based on their faces, Jamie could tell the best case scenario wasn't going to happen.

"Jesus Christ, what am I going to do with you?" Rebecca asked aloud. She released Jamie from her grasp, and shut the door tightly.

"I… I'm _so_ sorry, Maj," Jamie begged. She fought the urge to cry. "I didn't mean to—"

"Not right now," Rebecca stated, silencing her pupil. "We _already_ have plenty of shit to deal with. I don't have time to deal with you right now. Honestly, I don't know how to fucking deal with you."

"Jamie, I doubt you understand what you're stumbling into," AJ said, her words somewhat softer. "This information isn't exactly something that you want to be carrying around."

"Or else the NSA comes and locks me up in a penitentiary somewhere," Jamie nodded. "I have the internet. I know what happens to whistleblowers."

"You're not a whistleblower if you don't want to be," said Rebecca. "I have the authority to get you arrested right now for illegal possession of government secrets. I'm _not_ going to do that, for two reasons: one, you were actually pretty good at staying quiet when you were spying and I'm glad you learned a useful talent, and two, because you're my friend, and friends don't get other friends locked in jail forever."

"Thank you!" Jamie said, dropping to her knees. She bowed. "Thank you so much."

"You don't have to grovel to me," Rebecca groaned. Jamie hurriedly rose to her feet, feeling incredibly relieved. "There are just a few things we need to make clear. First of all, you can't ever mention anything you heard to _anyone_, even your family. If you do, I'll know about it."

"Got it," Jamie said, her voice small as a mouse.

"Second, no one on the support team knows about this. Third, never _ever_ spy on me or AJ again. If I find you doing that, I'll break your arm for real. AJ will probably kill you, but that's because she's not as nice as I am."

"I won't actually kill you," AJ said defensively. "I'm not that crazy. But still, spying on your friends aint cool."

"I know! It was just an accident!"

"Regardless, I hope you don't fuck up again," said Rebecca. "And the last thing: once you get back from your transfer, I'm going to make you run so many fucking laps that your legs will fall off."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "Wait… you're not still going to transfer me away, are you?"

"Uh… yes?" Rebecca answered. "In fact, there's probably more of a reason to do it now that the highly dangerous information I'm trying to keep you out of is jammed inside of your head."

At that moment, AJ witnessed something peculiar happen. The innocent girl that was Jamie Robinson seemed to entirely vanish, and was replaced with someone different. The new girl smirked, but it wasn't her own smile: it was Rebecca's.

"Oh, that's really not a good idea," Jamie taunted. "You wouldn't want to make me unhappy right now. I mean, if you send me away against my will, who knows what I'll say to the people who ask why? Who knows what crazy government secrets I might spill to prove my innocence in the matter? I mean, I'm such an impressionable young lady… if a cute boy suddenly asks me to tell him all of my dirty little secrets, something unexpected might just roll off of my tongue."

Jamie punctuated by sticking out her tongue for a second, and then grinning brightly. AJ traced her way back to Rebecca, who was standing there like she was gazing at her own reflection. It was something astonishing: Rebecca was getting blackmailed by _herself_. She wasn't sure whether to feel pride or envy. Perhaps the Major felt a little of both.

"That… that's one hell of a bitchy move to make, Scoots," Rebecca stated in surprise. Soon though, a grin spread across her face. "Fine, stay for all I care. I need some extra company anyway. It'd get boring with just AJ around."

Jamie cheered and pumped her fist into the air. She raised her arm at AJ for a high-five, before (with an embarrassed grin) drawing back her hand into her pocket once she realized the mistake. Just as the reflection came, it was gone. Jamie, for the most part, seemed back to normal.

However, Rebecca smirked in her place. Once the poor girl noticed it, she began to wish that she was transferred after all.

"Okay, Scoots, you win. I'll keep my friends close and my enemies closer. The thing is: I'm going to keep you _very_ close, just to make sure that silver tongue of yours doesn't start spilling out of your gums. I sure hope you feel like a fucking big girl now, because now is about time you fucking act like one."

"Um… Maj?" Jamie asked nervously. "What are you talking about? I'm just a private."

"Yeah, Dash," said AJ. "You aint really thinking—"

"Ohhhh yes, I am," Rebecca said a bit evilly. She was the teacher, and the student needed to be taught a valuable lesson: no one manipulates Rebecca Jennifer Dawson and gets away with it. "We're gonna need some back-up, and since this a black-op, we can't rely on the other members of the support team. So, AJ will probably need a lot more _personal_ assistance."

"Maj," Jamie pleaded. "Let's not get hasty here."

"Hey Scoots," Rebecca said in a sing-song voice. In AJ's eyes, she had transformed into a super-villain about to drop the hero in a pit of lava. "Guess who's going to Iraaaaan?"

* * *

><p><strong>12 June, 2025<strong>

**Somewhere Over the Nevada Desert**

As it turned out, Jamie ended up flying to a new base in the next several days anyway. The primary difference was the fact that she had some company in the B8-NSWCH. She was disappointed that her colleagues didn't seem to share the same sense of enjoyment as she did, considering the fact that they were flying at thousands of feet in the air at hundreds of miles per hour. Instead, they huddled around a laptop, looking over tactical information about the mission.

"You guys are buzzkills," Jamie said to her friends. "How could you not be more excited about this? We're in an advanced military jet flying at the speed of sound, and you haven't even looked away from your computer screen."

"That's because we're trying to focus," Rebecca said, not looking away from the computer screen. "If something goes wrong, we could be completely screwed over."

"I'm just hoping Neptune follows through with that back-up," AJ stated. The plan had been laid out for her. She would take off alone from an airbase in Denver, arriving in Iran the next day. After infiltrating the town nearby the stronghold, she was planned to meet up with Neptune and several other rebellious members of Silver Hounds. Together, they would be able to sneak in the base, create a fortified position, and slowly begin evacuating the scientists. If Neptune was being honest, then all should have gone well. However, the hierarchy of Silver Hounds was also going to be present at the base. Luckily, Neptune had provided briefing files for the Horsemen at the very least, revealing everything he knew about the darkling creatures.

"This one is Shadow, the leader" Rebecca said, pointing at the blurry image of a pale, brooding woman. "She's a master in hand-to-hand combat at bladed weaponry. That glaive you saw her tossing around is controlled by electromagnetic waves or something. Basically, it goes anywhere she wants it to go, and she can draw it directly out of a hidden compartment in her hand. According to Neptune, she uses some kind of optic camouflage to blend into her surroundings. She was the one Neptune held a conversation with, so at the very least, we know she's a person."

"She's also pretty tame, for what I remember," said AJ. "She managed to hold back the others pretty damn efficiently. Plus, she didn't seem too happy with Wolfe. Who knows, maybe she aint that bad after all."

"Try to avoid her anyway. I'm not taking any chances on 'she might be slightly more decent'. If you see her, try to get away as fast as you can while keeping an eye on her. If she loses the element of surprise, maybe you can get one up on her."

Rebecca pointed to the image of the behemoth. "This is Judgment. He's surrounded by a massive metallic exoskeleton that's practically immune to everything. Neptune didn't know how to get past it. He's equipped with a whole bunch of crazy guns and tools within the armor with some kind of heat-seeking targeting some system. Also, apparently he has a giant fucking hammer?"

"Yeah. I remember that," AJ said distastefully, recalling the ease at which soldiers were crushed beneath its might.

"I don't think I have to tell you to stay away from him. In fact, stay far away from all of 'em. Let's see… oh yeah, _her_."

AJ saw Rebecca point at the winged creature's picture. Immediately, her heart was filled with hatred. "That's Archangel. He said to keep a close eye out for her. She's an insane sadomasochist who occasionally goes on schizophrenic bursts of slaughter and mayhem. With those wings she has, she can reach speeds of up to seventy miles per hour, and can turn and stop on a dime. The wings themselves are sharp, but she usually kills with her own personal sword, which—and I'm not kidding here—she named the 'Final Sin'. So, on top of being insane, she's also religious, which is sorta like… hey, are you even listening to this stuff?"

AJ kept her eyes focused on the Archangel's wings. Her face was dark, and she spoke softly. "Those wings, Dash. It's the same wings."

_Oh God, please don't start this now,_ Rebecca thought angrily. Of course the similarity had to be noted. How could it not be? However, at least Rebecca had the decency not to bring up the painful thoughts. She tried to play it off as ignorance.

"What are you talking about? Pay attention! It might save your life."

"It was the same," AJ repeated, as if in a trance. "The style was more chaotic, more unnatural, but it was still _hers_. It was uncanny, Rebecca. I swear, it was the same damn thing. Do… you think it _might_ be possible—"

"No, I don't," Rebecca said firmly. "I get that it looks the same, but there is not a chance that Archangel is actually Fiona."

"I wasn't suggesting that," AJ groaned. "I've seen that how that psychopath acts. Her body type is different, her voice is different, and her laugh is different. It's just that those were Fiona's wings, and that was how she used to move around with 'em. What are the chances of that happening at random? It was almost like whoever is underneath that mask had first-hand experiencing with those things to get as good as she is."

"Um… I hate to ask," Jamie said nervously. "But, who's this Fiona person you guys keep talking about?"

AJ went silent, and turned her head. Rebecca opened her mouth, but said nothing. The topic was difficult enough to talk about with friends, but this was completely different. Why did people always have to bring up bad memories around her?

"Fiona… was this girl that we, uh, used to know," she stated uncomfortably. "She was this really sweet kid who always tried to be as selfless as humanly possible; hell, probably even more so. She was our friend way back when me and AJ were just teenagers. She ended up being happier than the two of us combined, even though she didn't really know that many other people."

"She _was_ your friend?" Jamie asked, starting to understand the gravity of the conversation. Rebecca had no idea how to say anything comfortably, so she just said what she knew.

"There was this… car accident back in '19," said the Major somberly. "She and her partner were caught at a gas station as this massive truck skid off the road. From what I was told, there was this huge ball of fire. The bodies were… um… practically unrecognizable. The only way they knew who the body belonged to was a fingerprint sample from a dismembered hand that was lying nearby."

"Oh man… I'm so sorry for your loss. At least… her soul is with God now," Jamie said quickly. The atmosphere in the room was heavy. She regretted ever asking in the first place.

"Don't be sorry," Rebecca said. "It happened a long time ago. It's best to try and forget those sorts of things. I doubt she would have wanted us to live in the past. She wasn't that kind of girl."

"What about Ghost?"

Rebecca curiously looked at AJ, who stared directly at the floor. She spoke again.

"What about Ghost? What's his deal supposed to be?" Rebecca blinked several times. AJ was right, in a sense. There wasn't any time to be focusing on an event from six years ago. There were more important things to deal with. Rebecca went on to tell AJ everything she knew about the fourth member of the Horsemen. She told AJ that Ghost was always keeping to himself, even around the other Horsemen. She told AJ that he seemed to have some form of psychokinetic abilities, even though there wasn't any scientific reasoning. She told AJ that he was rumored to read minds, levitate objects, pass through solid objects, and even create vivid hallucinations, although no one had ever seen him do such things in battle.

By the time Rebecca was finished, AJ had already phased out entirely. She wasn't concerned with the Four Horsemen. She wasn't concerned about rescuing the hostages. She wasn't even concerned with her own safety. One single thought flowed freely around her mind: people she cared about always seemed to die because of her. Tara was gone because of her. Fiona was gone because of her. Soon, _she_ would be gone herself, leaving a legacy of death and destruction wherever she went. And now, someone out there was harming innocent people to get to her.

Wolfe. AJ didn't know who she was, or why she was hunting her, or what she planned to gain from anything. There was only one thing that was perfectly clear:

No one else was going to die because of her. Not anymore.

**Mission Briefing: Complete**


	6. Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen (1)

**Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen**

**Operation: Apocalypse Now**

**14 June, 2025**

**Northwestern Iran**

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Scoots, it's been two hours. You can stop thanking me."

"I'm _so_ sorry for blackmailing you!"

"Did you actually think that I would send you to a warzone? You're a kid. What kind of psychopath do you think I would be to send you to your death?"

"Uh… I plead the fifth?"

"Ugh."

AJ rolled her eyes. The conversation had been ringing in her ears for the past twenty minutes, and showed no sign of slowing down. At the very least, they would soon be forced into caring about _her_ protection instead of their own pointless little problems. _They_ weren't about to be flung into a mission with practically no chance of survival. _They_ weren't going to be brutally killed by psychopaths if something went wrong. No, _they_ were several hundred miles away at a military base in Turkey, while she was flying dangerously low to the ground in a remote part of a hostile nation. It upset her deeply, especially when she realized that she was having the exact same resentful thoughts as she was having several days ago in Egypt. There was clearly a very unhealthy pattern going on in her missions. She would need to root out the problems when she returned.

Dawn was breaking over the horizon. AJ would have preferred to accomplish her mission during the night, but it simply wasn't possible. Recent government restrictions had made air traffic during dark hours nearly impossible. She would have been shot out of the sky before she even arrived. The fear still lingered. After all, it was relatively dark out, and although she had been repeatedly assured by Rebecca that she would not be detected, she couldn't help but feel otherwise. AJ tugged on the collar of her suit, which had thankfully been upgraded by something or other that Rebecca referred to as "dynamic Kevlar". The outfit was as black as night, with the hope being that the Horsemen would not be able to see her in the dark. AJ did not trust in that idea.

What she did trust, however, was a set of small, round chip-like devices attached to her belt in case of an emergency. Granted, they would only work if Neptune was telling the truth, and Rebecca was adamant that he was not. It was almost funny how backwards her faith in people seemed to be.

"Hey, Rebecca," said AJ. "Have ya gotten any more word from Neptune recently?"

"Not since he gave us the rendezvous point," Rebecca retorted. "Which kinda sucks for you. I mean, if something went wrong, I'd guess he'd tell you. Then again, if he got caught and was tortured for information… you could probably be walking into a trap."

"Thanks for the confidence boost. You really know how to make a girl feel special."

"Hey, you can kick the ass of almost anyone who gets in your way. Don't sweat too much. Just follow through with the strategy, and you should be in and out before anyone notices."

"The problem is getting to the center of town undetected. I'd try rooftops, but they aint high enough to make a difference in spotting me. Besides, that didn't work out so well last time."

"But once you get there, Neptune should guide you safely to those merc friends of his," Rebecca stated. "Hopefully, those French bastards won't double-cross you."

"Yeah, they better not," AJ grumbled. Her instructions were to meet up with several other rebellious members of Silver Hounds, whom Neptune had managed to convince to join the fight. They were referred to as "Les Terreurs", and were four of the most-highly trained Special Forces soldiers from the European nation. They were known for their superior marksmanship, stealth tactics, and a lack of loyalty to anyone other than each other. They had abandoned countless countries and PMCs, which only made AJ more concerned of the possibility of being betrayed.

"And no, I've received no intel on who The Man with No Name is. Don't bother asking."

"Dammit. There's too many unknowns in this situation for me to feel comfortable. The Four Horsemen, No Name, Wolfe, Les Terreurs, Neptune… why can't anyone just use their goddamn name for once?"

"Well, at the very least," Rebecca said with a chuckle. "_That_ unknown isn't around anymore. That would be _crazy_."

AJ did not laugh.

"Still a sensitive topic?"

"Still a sensitive topic."

"Jesus… I make one reference and the girl goes goth on me," Rebecca complained silently.

"I don't get it," Jamie groaned. "What is that a reference to? I really feel like you need to start telling me more stories."

"Eh, don't fret about it. I'll tell you when you can drink. That way you won't rememb—" Rebecca suddenly stopped speaking. AJ tensed up in her seat as the silence grew. Without warning, the entire room flipped on its side, and AJ was flung to the ground. A loud buzzer rang throughout the chamber.

"Rebecca, what the hell was that!?" AJ shouted.

"Bogies inbound," Rebecca panicked. "Shit, they must have scanned the chopper!"

"I thought ya said that wasn't gonna happen? Way to let that slip through yer fingers, Dash!"

"Fuck, you got more targets incoming. Thank god you got a decent pilot. Hang on to something."

AJ looked around frantically, but the only thing she had to grab was the bench on the opposite side of the room. She gritted her teeth together, and lunged forward. However, just before she took off, the helicopter swerved again, slamming her head against the door. AJ screeched as high-itched static ruptured through her ear. She could feel the helicopter spiraling out of control beneath her feet. She had no idea if they'd even been hit or not, but she wasn't taking the chance. Using her free hand, AJ hurriedly opened the door, and cast her glaze outside. Sand was all that she saw from forty feet in the air. It would have to do. AJ leapt out, loosening her body so that when she struck against the ground, she tumbled across the sand instead of crumpling into it. AJ came to a stop on her back, staring at the dark shadow moving across the azure sky. It moved away out of sight, disappearing into the night. From what she saw, the helicopter did not appear damaged in any way. At the very least, she could still get out if she needed to.

But the static was proving too much for her. She smacked her ear several times until everything became quiet, and then groaned, "That was a pain in the ass, wasn't it? How's everything lookin' from over there?"

There was no response.

"Uh, Rebecca?" AJ said worriedly. "Come in. What's the situation? Can anyone hear me?"

Silence. _Son of a bitch,_ AJ thought angrily. _Not now._

"Rebecca, please respond," AJ said more desperately. "Is the operation still a go? Repeat, is the operation a go? Come on, Dash. Answer me!"

AJ sat up, brushing the sand off of her sore body. The air was dry, and warmth had only just begun to sneak through the land. Dejected, AJ looked to her left. Many hundreds of yards in the distance, she could make out the faint patches of light in a large village. Beyond that, she could see nothing, although she knew it was where she had to go. Rendezvous with Neptune and Les Terreurs, rescue the hostages: that was her last assignment. The helicopter was long gone, and communications were down. She was all alone in the desert. She had two options. She could either wait for a rescue team to come in and extract her from the mission, or she could march into the village without any backup, face certain death, and complete her duty.

She easily chose the latter.

The trek across the sandy plains was much longer than AJ had hoped. She was still roughly a mile away from the village, but a sharp pain in her leg slowed her pace drastically. The déjà vu gave her a headache. Here she was yet again trudging for hundreds and hundreds of yards to be met with almost inevitable death and seemingly no plan of extraction. Why was she so persistent about coming back in the first place? Why did she feel such a need to put her life on the line for something so meaningless?

The truth was complicated, but put simply: there were no meaningless choices left for her to make. The unfortunate truth regarding the life of Anna-Jean Balle was that it was coming to an abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion. Nine years ago on a mission, she and the rest of her friends had been exposed to a M.A.C.E.R. Device. The gamma radiation produced by the machine had sewn its way into their DNA, chemically altering them from the inside out. Each of them was altered differently, although most of their gifts were actually benefits. Tara Sullivan learned how to use telekinesis. Rebecca Dawson was able to accelerate her body faster than any living creature. In some way or another, they were bestowed incredible gifts, the likes of which were both fantastic and terrifying all at once. But this did not happen to Anna-Jean Balle. No, instead she was cursed, bewitched, granted a grand punishment for the actions of her past: her life was on a timer. The cells in her body were degrading faster than she could replenish them. As her life went on, the process would work faster; she wasn't supposed to live past forty. She tried to fight it as hard as she possibly could. She spent every hour of every day keeping her body at the peak of physical condition. It felt like she was in a constant boxing match with the toughest opponent of her life, swaying back and forth from the brink of defeat. However, even with everything she did to stay young, she recently discovered that there was no winning against this enemy. Even with everything she did, she could feel her youth getting sapped away. She was staving off the disease, but she couldn't cure it. How long had she postponed her miserable life? One, maybe two years? What was the point of trying to fight back anyway when all she would do is continue her struggle to survive? There was barely anything left to live for. Was that was she was trying to find by coming back? A reason to survive, a reason to fight? Maybe she didn't want to die on anything but her own terms. Or, maybe she was trying to find repentance for something she had done in the past. What would it be specifically? AJ didn't know: there were too many mistakes to count.

"Please, someone help us!"

The cries broke through AJ's train of thought. She was standing by the outskirts of the village, still about one hundred yards away. However, the serene atmosphere was shattered. The gentle lights glooming in the distance weren't porch lights or street lamps. They were _fires_, fires that had spread beyond the eye could see. There was constant shouting from every direction. In the navy blue sky, AJ thought she could make out a small shadow shooting through the air.

_Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful, _AJ thought with discontent. Already, everything had fallen to pieces. _You just can't go a single day without something blowing up, or someone gettin' shot, or some maniac showing up out of nowhere and killing everything, can ya? What are ya gonna do now, AJ?_

As AJ hurried closer to the village, the cries became clearer. A burst of gunfire was heard, followed by more screams. She instinctively reached for her SMART gun, which hung loosely on her belt. The fires were the only source of illumination, and it was difficult to make out what was a target ad what was a person trying to escape. It was the only time she would be thankful for having a gun that could aim for her. In the darkness, she would have the advantage over Silver Hounds. Whatever massacre they were committing seemed sloppily executed, and she could easily maneuver her way around the danger. As AJ reached the edge of the village, she became very comfortable with this strategy. She slowly slouched into a crawl, trudging slowly through the sand. Dozens of small buildings lied before her, either made of stone or wood. She could hide near their bases without attracting any attention.

Her theory was about to be tested, as she almost immediately noticed a group of people hurrying across the street in front of her. She was uncertain of their number, but based on her estimates there were roughly five or so men among the group. The flames glinted across the barrels of the rifles they bore. AJ whipped out her gun, and took aim. However, she caught herself before she pulled the trigger. The men wore no identifiable uniforms, only carrying night-robes on their backs, and one or two of them appeared rather out-of-shape. AJ's suspicions were only further confirmed when she saw more figures sprinting out towards the middle of the street. Many were small: children. They were just people trying to escape before any more harm came to them. A cloaked woman ran up to one of the overweight men, and he pointed away from the village.

"Siz təhlükəsiz yer tapmaq lazımdır!" he shouted, fear plain across his face. "Biz ətraf başqaları üçün baxmaq! Getmək, getmək!"

AJ cursed underneath her breath. They were speaking a dialect she did not recognize. She could only assume that he was telling the women and children to get to safety, as one woman reluctantly picked up a screaming child, and carried her away from the village, running past AJ without care.

"Getmək!" the man continued to cry, waving around his firearm to punctuate his efforts. Unfortunately, his pleading was drowned out by another loud noise from above: a nasty, screeching cackle. AJ pressed herself against the ground as the sound of rockets filled the air, and some dark and menacing soared over her head. The men opened fire on the object, but it was far too quick for them. The shadow wrapped back around, slowing down as it approached the targets.

"Ooh, you guys look like fun! Heeheehee…"

_What are you waiting for?_ AJ's instincts spoke to her. _Get the hell outta there. _Despite her inner warning, however, AJ did not move; whether it was out of frozen fear or a reluctance to leave people to die, she was unsure of. Still, she couldn't help but shudder as the looming shadow landed with a clang on the roof of a building across the way. Archangel kneeled directly behind a fire, her metallic wings curling and straightening with a loud grinding noise. Her uniform had changed slightly. Her suit was bulkier around her chest, and the sleeves were missing. Her arms were similar to that of Shadow's: sleek, black and metal, with long white fingernails attached on in bands around her slender fingers. White paneling was detailed along her forearm and parts of her shoulder, as well as extending to the back of her hands. A hood was cast over her mask, further blanketing her true face.

In the fires, she looked to AJ like the goddess of death.

"Hey, don't run away kiddies!" Archangel cried out disappointedly to the fleeing families. "You don't want to miss me and your dads have _fun_ together!"

Immediately, a hail of bullets rained down upon the woman on the roof. She cackled cheerfully, and dove off onto the ground, rolling back to her feet effortlessly despite the otherwise bulky wings. Then, she drew her sword, and began to cut. Her movements were erratic. She balanced on her toes, lightly dancing to one poor soul after the other, using clean, precise cuts to slice them open. Every time she wanted to move, the jets on her wings gave an extra kick, launching her forward faster and faster. By the time AJ was able to remember the fact that she needed to breathe, there was only one man left standing. Based on his shape alone, AJ recognized him as the man trying to persuade his wife to lead. Archangel barely paid attention to him. She was too busy straddling a nearby corpse to notice, poking at it with the tip of her blade. The man raised his rifle, and aimed at her.

Like a ghoul, her head snapped back at him. A blank face watched his every terrified motion. He couldn't even place his finger on the trigger before she flipped off of the body, and charged. He shot and missed by a wide margin due to his shaky grasp. It was all Archangel needed. She sprung into the air, whirled around, and kicked the gun right out of his hands. Landing, she grabbed onto his throat, and forcefully shoved him against the wall.

"Ooh… look at you," the menace spoke softly, intimidatingly. "Ain't you a little porker? Are those your kids over there? They sure look emancipated to me. Typical men… always putting themselves before others. Doesn't your precious Allah say anything about glutton?"

The man only stared at her. Archangel tilted her head.

"Oh," she said, saddened. "You don't speak English at all, do you? You don't have the slightest idea what the hell I'm talking about?" In a flash, her mood changed again. She giggled to herself. "So basically, I can say anything I want to right now, and you'll be absolutely _terrified_ by it. Hmm… my mother was a walrus… I could really go for a peanut butter sandwich…"

She leaned in close to his ear, and gently whispered, "Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow." The man let out a screech, and Archangel followed suit with a laugh. She shook her head in disbelief. "Man, this would be absolutely _hysterical_ if I wasn't about to cut your head off! I bet Ghost would find it funny anyway; he's a sick son-of-a-bitch…"

Archangel pressed her sword against his throat. It was at that moment that AJ realized she needed to make a decision. She had three options as she saw it. Her first option was to remain in place, and do nothing. It wouldn't be very difficult to do. Archangel would eventually have to move on to somewhere else, and once she did, the path would be clear. Hopefully, something else would keep the nightmare of a human being occupied while AJ traveled. Or, if she wanted to take advantage of Archangel's distraction, she could probably slip away while it was still dark. It would give her a head start on the maniac, if only for a few precious seconds.

But AJ sighed. She already knew she wasn't going to do that. No, she was far too stupid and prideful to use someone else's death to get ahead. That man, whoever he was, had a family. He had a child. AJ gritted her teeth together, and tightened her grip on her pistol. She knew what the loss of family did. She wouldn't stand by and watch it happen again.

Archangel drew back her sword, and pointed it at the man's plump stomach. "I've always wanted to play doctor!" shouted the mad woman in glee. "Open up, and say…"

Then, the most peculiar thing happened. AJ watched in shock, barely believing her own eyes. It seemed, for a moment, like a dream. Yet it could not be a dream, for there AJ was, watching as it unfolded: Archangel thrust the blade into the man's chest, and before he had a chance to scream, tore it straight upwards, cutting him in two. His body flopped to the ground, blood spraying over the cackling mercenary.

AJ was stunned. She was about to spring into action, risking her own safety for the life of someone she had never met. But there was no need. He was dead.

She had failed.

_ I… I didn't move_, AJ realized in horror. She wanted to lunge at the Archangel, tear her throat out for her act of inhumanity, and yet, she remained hidden in the shadows. Gunfire rang off from elsewhere in the village. Archangel shot her head towards the sky, amused.

"Hmm, there's another party going on around here?" she muttered to herself. "Judgment, you better not be having fun without me!"

The rockets came to life on her black wings, sending ripples through the dense sand. AJ continued to stare in horror. _Why didn't I move?_ The question rang throughout her mind. _Why didn't I move?_

The screeching harpy twirled as she soared into the sky, laughing in a state of pure bliss. Forty feet above, she paused, reoriented herself, and then took off towards the gunfire. Her cackles echoed through the barren wasteland of bodies. Blood poured over the ground, getting absorbed by the loose, grainy particles.

AJ bowed her head in shame. She could have saved that man's life. She knew it for a fact. Since she was thirteen, she had battled the odds against far worse. If she could pretty much hold her own with a Korbalov, or a Discord, or a Sombra, then she was confident that she could hold her own against the thing that was Archangel. But then, what restricted her movements? What paralyzed her? She could only develop a theory in her dreary mind: a theory regarding human nature, a theory regarding evil. Evil was supposed to be a relative concept, where each individual judged their own merits for being a good or evil thing. AJ's judgment was, perhaps, more strict than others due to her nature. In her eyes, Celestia was evil, for she stole her from her life and trained her for life-long war. In her eyes, her father was evil, for he killed many innocent, harmless people on his quest for vengeance. In her eyes, Sombra and Discord and Moon and Chrysalis were evil, for they attempted to bring the world to ruin. Yet evil was supposed to be relative; and she doubted that any of them saw themselves as evil beings. More likely than not, they saw themselves as the only innocents in a cruel, broken-down world. Archangel, though, was different. Her actions were unjustifiable. Taunting the victims sadistically, murdering entire families without the slightest hesitation, and laughing hysterically while doing it were crimes too awful to be seen as good. AJ could assume that, at some time, Archangel was a person too, and she had morals and ethics and a mission to do well. She _knew_ the difference between good and evil, at some point. Judging evil was relative, and so AJ came up with a new theory about the demon in the sky: Archangel saw _herself_ as evil. And, she enjoyed every moment of it.

AJ somehow found the strength to rise to her feet. She looked around nervously, in case any of the Horsemen had decided to return. She looked for any sign of the families that had been sent away from the town, but they had vanished into the night. AJ breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, that poor child hadn't witnessed the massacre. It wouldn't stop the pain entirely, but at least the trauma would be lessened. AJ took casual steps towards the shredded bodies. Examining them, she noticed that each cut into the flesh was smooth, like a knife running through butter. The "Final Sin" was must have been something to behold. Her blades didn't hold up in comparison. AJ quickly realized that the sun had come up over the horizon, illuminating the land in a soft yellow glow.

_Goddammit,_ AJ cursed in her mind. How long had she been lying there, letting her hatred bubble and ooze beneath her skin? She wasted time. All she ever seemed to do was waste time. There was no time for remorse, Neptune was waiting for her. She took in a deep breath, and then sprinted further into the village. As the sun rose, so did her determination. She had been constantly questioning what drove her forward. Was it her loyalty to her friend? Was it to make up for the life she was going to lose? Was it because she was dying? AJ now firmly believed: no. It wasn't those that drove her forward. It was _hate_. It was hatred of the Four Horsemen, hatred of Silver Hounds, hate of people who had nothing better to do than ruin the lives of others, hate of people who killed not just without remorse, but with _pleasure_.

It was _hatred_ that drove AJ Balle forward on her mission. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Moving on the tips of her feet, AJ was able to dart near effortlessly through the streets. The terrorizing sound of gunfire let her immediately know where each enemy stood. Navigation was not an issue; she had memorized a map of the village during the briefing. She followed the pattern in her head, banking left at a crossroads. There were no cars to block the way, but fallen bodies and burnt wood and heavy stone. One such pile of bricks was stacked a meter high in a pile of rubble, twenty yards away. Her foot was in shambles, but with the drugs pumping in her veins, she cared little for her well-being. Gathering momentum, AJ reached the bricks and hopped over, sliding her legs across the top of the pile. She took another sharp turn right, which brought her face-to-face with a mosque, which had caved-in some hours before. There were people who must have spent their lives devoted to that building, AJ realized. She growled as she passed: it was another reason to hate the Silver Hounds.

_BANG BANG BANG BANG_

AJ skid to a halt as a flood of people turned the corner in a panic. They ducked and covered their skulls as they darted away from the chaos. There must have been mercenaries close by. AJ unintentionally grinned. She needed something to hit. Who knew? It could have even been one of the Horsemen. She would _love_ to get her hands on one of those freaks. AJ ran up to the corner of the street, and pressed herself against the wall. She peeked out quickly, catching a glimpse of the monsters she sought to hunt. There were three in number. One was standing ten feet away from the corner, hiding behind a stone balcony. The others were out in the street, emptying their rifles into a two-story building. AJ ground her teeth together, and without thinking, charged.

The closest soldier turned at the sound of footsteps. His reflexes were too slow to match the woman charging towards him, as she leapt into the air and tackled him to the ground. Snapping his neck, she tumbled off, lying behind a stone railing.

"Hostile!" warned one of the other soldiers. They snapped towards her, and split off to flank her position. AJ had only a few precious seconds to react before she was surrounded. She hoisted the nearby body onto her chest, and tucked in her knees. She reached to her right and grabbed onto the submachine left unattended, and pointed it past her head. With her free hand, she aimed her pistol at her feet, and waited.

"There she i—_thuk_!" a soldier was immediately caught tagged by a shot stemming from the ground. AJ opened fire in both directions, hoping to kill something before she ran out of ammo. The soldier by her head was struck instantly in his gut, and he fell. The soldier by her feet, however, managed to let off several shots before he was blasted through his skull. Fortunately for AJ, the corpse covering her form served as an effective shield, catching almost every shot for her. One bullet reflected into her side, but was bounced away by her plated suit. With disgust, she tossed away the bleeding sack of flesh and rose to her feet. She needed to have more faith in Rebecca, considering the effectiveness of her armor.

AJ continued down the streets towards the center of town, but this time hugged the houses closely. Despite her enraged state of mind, she hadn't become clumsy. The last thing she needed was Archangel to swoop down on top of her. Although, she would have disliked _any_ of the Horsemen showing up in front of her. The winged one just happened to be on the top of her list. She felt somewhat lucky though; she had a distinct advantage over them. _If_, of course, Neptune's hunch was correct: that they were machines. AJ sneered.

_Machines,_ she thought bitterly. _How could a machine hate that much? _

Sure, she figured, they looked like machines. Judgment was incased in a massive metal suit of armor. Archangel had her manufactured wings, the origins of which she barely wanted to know. Shadow had her magnetic arms. To that extent, her weapon _should_ have functionality against them. The only remaining enigma was the small, floating man who clung to the Horsemen's side. The one called Ghost, who had somehow managed to reach around her mind and pluck out the classified information stored inside of her memories. He was the one who had picked her up with only the sheer power of his thoughts, and twisted her muscles about like a curious toddler messing about with a new toy. He was a Macer of some kind, but she had never seen a Macer with such powerful abilities. And still, Neptune seemed to be adamant in her claim that all of the Horsemen were artificial. There were too many unanswered questions that soured her mind.

And then, suddenly appearing in front of her, were the answers. AJ, in her confusion, had wandered into the center of the village. A large market lied in front of her. The circular intersection broke off in four distinct paths, careening off into different subsections of the village. Countless brick structures surrounded her, and numerous stands were apparent, displaying foods and clothing. In the center of the circle, AJ spotted an elegant stone fountain, spraying water in multiple tiers throughout its ten-foot infrastructure. Unlike the war-torn battlefield around her, there were no signs of devastation other than abandonment. In the sereneness of her environment, AJ almost let her mission slip away from her.

_Don't get yourself lost,_ AJ forcefully reminded herself. Neptune was waiting for her somewhere in the area. But where that was, AJ had not the slightest clue. Perhaps Neptune was hiding somewhere behind one of the stands? Perhaps he was in one of the buildings? Perhaps he was caught sometime before, and there was no one left to meet? There was no telling what was going to happen.

"Hey!" AJ called out reluctantly. She took several steps towards the fountain, looking around for signs of life. "Is anyone here!? Anyone here at all!?" AJ patiently waited for a response, but none came. She cursed under her breath.

"Dammit, why does no one ever keep their promises? Rebecca, if you're listening to this, I think we might have made a bad de—"

A sound suddenly hit AJ's ears. It sounded like gentle footsteps fluttering across the ground. She looked around at the stands, but there was no one in sight. Then, another sound in the distance; a bird, possibly? No, AJ realized, it wasn't a bird. There were no birds around this desolate place. Besides, it sounded too automated to be a bird. Yet, there was a sharp familiarity to it, something she could clearly recall from a time long past.

AJ, in a flash of shock and horror, realized what the sound was: the buzzing of a mechanical motor.

Without thinking, AJ threw herself sideways, leaning back as far as she could on her waist. Time seemed to move in slow motion as a glaive passed mere centimeters in front of her face. She saw her own reflection in its surface: wide-eyed, skin flaring, panic stricken throughout her features like a ruthless virus. The glaive bounced off of the loose ground, and skid off of one of the merchant shops. AJ watched it bounce chaotically off of every surface in the area, before heading towards the fountain. It hovered in place at the top, spinning effortless in midair as it defied the laws of physics.

"Wow, I'm impressed," came a chillingly calm voice from the fountain, its femininity countered by its dismissiveness. "No one's ever been able to dodge that shot before." AJ was anchored to the floor, unable to stand as her legs went stiff. Slowly, the presence began to reveal itself standing atop of the tiered fountain. First, there appeared the slender metallic arms, followed by ghastly-white skin, wavy, chopped hair blacker than night, and then cold, disparaging eyes that stared curiously at the legendary soldier through dark war paint. Her uniform was covered with tears and markings displaying her years of experience, and the sun reflected off of her armored chest plate. Even though her mouth and nose were covered, AJ had the distinct impression that the creature was smiling at her fear.

"You…" AJ said, trying to find her courage. She forced herself to rise. She knew that it was no time to display fear to the enemy. She put on a cocky smile, even though her body continued to shake. "You're Shadow, aren't you? Of the Four Horsemen."

"Hmph, what do you know?" Shadow said passively. She tilted her head, and stared. "It looks like someone remembers us. How interesting." She looked up at the sky, and called out, "Hey, Archangel! Look who I just happened to find!"

For a moment, the sun was blocked out by a dark figure swooping overhead. AJ looked up in anger. _Dammit, it's her,_ she though bitterly. In mere seconds, everything had gone from bad to worse. The figure let out a cackle, and circled low above the market, eyeing the situation with great interest.

"Hey dollface!" Archangel laughed pleasantly. "How's it hanging!? Heheheh…" Archangel pulled her wings back, and gracefully tumbled her way onto one of the nearby rooftops. She hopped back to feet, spun around, and then squatted by the edge, wings draped over her shoulders, perched like the gargoyle she was meant to resemble. AJ reached for her gun, but the winged being just laughed some more.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" she teased. "Trust me: it doesn't usually end well. Heheheh…" AJ grit her teeth together. She remembered vividly what had happened when the men from earlier attempted to use their weapons on the Horseman. No matter how talented she was, there was nothing that could prevent either of the monsters from slicing her to ribbons. She couldn't turn and run, because she would be followed. She couldn't fight back, because there was no method to win. She had no idea whether Neptune had been killed, or was leading her into a trap, or had just abandoned the cause when the Horsemen arrived. She knew there was going to be no backup because of the broken transmission. She really only knew of one possible outcome:

AJ Balle was about to become the latest victim of the Four Horsemen.

_Grimly, _she evaluated the situation silently. She was pretty much stranded in the middle of a hostile nation, her closest allies hundreds of miles away. Her contact had either abandoned her or was captured, leaving her without any clear goal. Her leg was still damaged from a gunshot she received in Egypt, and the drugs were beginning to wear off. And, worst of all, she was standing before Shadow and Archangel, the two female monstrosities of the Four Horsemen. All things considered, AJ didn't favor her chances.

"Aw… look at her," Archangel laughed. "Little baby's frozen in place. I think we startled her, Shadow! Who knew Agent Dawn was such a scaredy-cat? Heh heh heh."

AJ glared at the winged devil. As much as she hated to admit it, Archangel was correct: she _was_ afraid. She never recalled such a feeling of absolute dread in her entire life. It wasn't like her to be afraid. Her instructor, Mac, had taught her from a young age to suppress her fear when in combat.

"_When fighting,"_ he had stated to her at the ripe age of seven. _"Ya need to bury yer emotions. If you can't stay level-headed, then yer enemies will be able to get the jump on ya. Fighting's nasty, and yer probably gonna see some real nasty stuff, but you need to calm down and focus. It's the key to staying alive."_

AJ nearly snickered at the thought. Bury her emotions? Refuse to show her fear? If only Mac had seen what she had become: a nervous, terrified wreck constantly fearing for her own existence. He would feel so ashamed of her. She used to be so much more. But that was all before she discovered her life was one giant lie, doomed to end abruptly and mercilessly. She held no passion towards anything, not really. Sure, she had some friends, but they were fading away with time. Pinky hadn't been heard from in years. Rachel was swept away into government work and practically disappeared. Fiona had been wiped off of the face of the earth without meaning or reason. Rebecca, the only person she still was notably attached to, had her own life, her own family to attend to. AJ was a relic, and she had recognized that painful truth. How was she supposed to be fearless?

How was she supposed to be like Tara?

AJ recoiled at the thought, for it didn't make any sense. Tara wasn't fearless. Tara wasn't an idol. Tara was a flawed, often paranoid, and irrational person deep inside. She had failed more times than AJ could count. She often unraveled during the most stressful times, and was constantly crippled by her own phobias. Her strategies sometimes disintegrated upon enactment, her panic attacks were long, and her bursts of outrage were violent. Tara was one of the most imperfect human beings AJ had ever known, yet she was still held on a pedestal in her mind. Why was that, AJ wondered. Maybe, it was because Tara was the foundation of P.O.N.Y. She was the glue that held the others together. Without her, it was no wonder why everyone splintered off from one another. Tara wasn't perfect by any means, but she _was_ what necessary in order for the group to survive. At the time, her faults were never important to them, because they needed to stick together. Her strengths outnumbered her weaknesses, and because of that, they were blind to the chaos that rested inside of her.

Suddenly, AJ realized what she needed to do. Surrounded by death in all directions, her choice became clear. She smirked; even nine years later, Tara was still teaching her things. With newfound confidence, AJ stood up, threw her hands high in the air, and put on the smuggest grin she could muster.

"Okay, okay," she laughed. Her head hung down in defeat. "You got me fair 'n square. I give up."

The energy in the square was palpable. Archangel's excitement was stirred, and she began giggling madly on her perch. Shadow raised her brow, but otherwise remained as she was.

"Hmm," said the pale one. "You know, after all of this hype, you think that you'd be harder to catch. What is this, the _second_ time in a row you haven't put up a fight?"

"Well, sorry to disappoint ya," AJ said smugly. "To be honest, I'm surprised you know who I am. Most people don't have the courtesy to ask my name before they try to kill me."

"I like to know my enemies," Shadow stated with authority. She immediately began to ramble on about what she had recently learned over the past week. "Anna-Jean Balle, born August 18th, 1997. Daughter of acclaimed chemist Matthew Balle, who supposedly died in a fire at the age of five. Raised by the government to do god knows what for thirteen years until your 'retirement' at the age of eighteen. Returned to active duty earlier this month."

AJ dropped her smile for a moment. There was too much information for her liking. Had Ghost really been able to pry that much from her mind?

"Not bad," AJ retorted quickly, regaining her bravado. "You gathered all of that in just a few days? And I thought you didn't care about me."

"I never knew you had a reputation," Shadow admitted. "I just thought that you were some random chick Wolfe was infatuated with. But you… you're _famous_ on the battlefield. I'd have killed you by now if it were otherwise."

"Pretty little birdie's done some _bad_ things in her life," Archangel taunted. She began to hum a light tune, and bounced her head happily to the rhythm. "_Poor Agent Dawn… trapped inside the desert… gonna snatch her up… grind her into dust…_"

"Excuse her, but she's just a bit excited about meeting a celebrity," Shadow groaned. Her eyes darted to her companion for only a brief moment before jumping back to AJ. "But she is right. I've read accounts of what you've done. A kid taking down a crime family… executing a king of a small African nation… hell, you've probably tossed the world into more chaos than we have."

"Hmm, you seem to know quite a lot about classified information," AJ said bitterly. "Now, it's _my_ turn." AJ took a deep breath. She had no idea how she was holding so well in the presence of psychopaths, but at the very least, she _was_ holding out. In fact, half of her work seemed to be done for her; for, they already knew who she was. If there was ever a time to prove herself to her enemies, it would have to be at this moment. She smiled deviously, and pointed a single finger at the woman on the fountain.

"You are Shadow, of the Four Horsemen," the agent said confidently. "For the past two years, you've been leading a four-person mercenary group across the world, resulting in an estimated three-thousand casualties. You have personally wiped out entire armies due to your advanced physiology, which appears to be upgraded through cybernetic augmentation. You utilize an optic camouflage system programed into the fibers of your suit; probably based off of the disguising-capabilities of an octopus, at least according to the latest military designs, which you probably stole a long time ago. That glaive of yours is controlled via an elector magnet connected to a sensor in your right hand. Your partner, Judgment, is permanently attached to a massive exoskeleton made out of a nearly indestructible titanium-steel alloy. He's been modified with a 1500 kilogram hammer, a .50 caliber highly-pressurized machine gun, some flares, a set of missile launchers on his shoulder plates, and hell lot of more interchangeable firepower. I know way more about Ghost than any federal agency wants me to… and _her_," AJ nudged her head towards Archangel. "Well, I know her wings are collapsible down to one-fifth of their normal size, that they run on solar powered heating relays that expel gases like a rocket at a high velocity to keep afloat while flying, and I know that she's a schizophrenic bitch who you probably hate because of her unwillingness to comply, and yet still keep her around because, at the very least, she's efficient at being a mass-murdering psychopath. All of you work under the control of Silver Hounds, Wolfe, and the Man with No Name, basically as slaves to their every whim. You probably can't make any decisions for yourselves."

Shadow did not move from the fountain, but AJ did see her eyes narrow. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

"Face it, ladies: the only thing I don't know about you is what any of your faces look like. And honestly, I don't think the world will mind overlooking that bit when it hears about everything else." AJ finished. The tension had significantly increased. But then, AJ suddenly realized that she had made a mistake. It was one thing to be intimidating, but angering the Four Horsemen would not bode well for her. It would only take an instant for one of them to leap down and chop her head off.

"Hahahahahaha!" Archangel cried from the rooftop. She sighed, and rested her head on her palm. "You're a pretty clever, darling! But sadly, you're just a _teensy_ bit off with your details."

AJ slowly clenched her fist. Even though it was faint, she could detect the anguish in Archangel's voice. Was it possible that her words held some truth, or was it just another marking of a maniac?"

Shadow spoke in a drone. "What do you think you're trying to do, exactly? Are you making a threat? Trying to show your worth or something? Or maybe you think that you can tear us apart by getting into our minds? I hate people who think that they're clever. And also, I recommend that you speak to _her_ with a little more respect. She's like family to me, and I don't tolerate anyone speaking bad about _my_ family."

"_Shadow and Archangel… dancing in the moonlight…_" the winged vixen sung to no particular tune.

"And why should I show respect to you?" AJ asked curiously. "Because you've killed thousands of innocent people? Because you run away like cowards instead of showing the world what you are? I aint afraid of monsters like you."

"Oh no, Dawn. You should respect us not because we're intimidating… but because we're _relatable_."

AJ raised an eyebrow. The pressure was bubbling inside of her. She couldn't even open her mouth to speak. Part of her wanted to punch Shadow in the face, the other part wanted to flee. She felt like a twig about to snap in half from her fear, her indecisiveness, her guilt. Shadow was just providing the necessary force.

"We're all killers, hun," spoke the pale woman. "We're not really the bad guys; it's just wet work. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept. Honestly, there are a lot worse people in the world than us. The world has gone to shit, and every corrupt business, organization and country out there wants to be one of the maggots crawling in the pile. You try to make things better, and so do we. In a way, that's a commendable effort on your part. And so, let me give you a little treat…"

Shadow reached around the back of her head, and much to AJ's shock, unclamped her mask. She released a series of clasps and a burst of steam quickly rushed out. AJ's mind ran wild with possibilities. If her physical abilities were so monstrous, what did her face look like? What could she possibly be hiding underneath that faceplate that was so horrible? It could be a mess of stitches and battle scars. It could be a series of black, vine-like tattoos. It could be a rotted, decaying jaw with chipped teeth and a split tongue. When the mask was finally removed and tossed aside, AJ saw that, somehow, it was worse than all of those combined:

There was nothing wrong at all. There were no battle scars, no broken teeth, no tattoos, or any signs of physical deformity. In fact, the most horrific injury done to her face was simply a platinum stud pierced through her nose. There was nothing particularly monstrous about her features; she probably could have passed for a model under the right lighting conditions. Sensing the confusion running through AJ's mind, Shadow smirked and stroked her chin.

"I know: _hideous_, isn't it?" she taunted. "No one has ever seen my face outside of my closest friends. There are two reasons for this: one, it helps keep up our aura of mystique. Seeing a pretty girl coming at you with a knife is debilitating for men, but not really that scary. Secondly, the bastards we have to deal with don't usually deserve to look at us how we really are. You, on the other hand, have quite the extensive background, and so I think it's only fair that let you look at the face behind the Four Horsemen…" Shadow's smile instantly dropped. "…before I have you executed in a few seconds."

AJ was only taken aback for a few seconds. Of course, she couldn't stall forever. She had been running on used time for too long, and it finally caught up with her. But then, a strange memory came to her. It was a random piece of conversation she had overheard several days prior, and now, it was about to save her life.

"Yeah… I don't think so," AJ said with a proud smile. "Your determination's actually pretty impressive, but there aint no way you're gonna kill me. I'm supposed to _survive_, remember? You were gonna kill me back in Egypt, but your orders were to leave me alone. The Four Horsemen may be powerful, but they take orders from someone. And as long as Wolfe wants me alive…" AJ held out her hands, her wrists pushed together. "Well, I'll be willing to come along as your prisoner. Your _unharmed_ prisoner. After all, Wolfe wouldn't be too pleased if something happened to me."

There was silence that followed. AJ felt frustrated gazes pierce her skin. In a way, she won. She would be held as a captive, but at least she would be alive. Shadow seemed to understand this as well, for her uninterested demeanor switched to one of pure hostility. What could she do? She was under orders to keep AJ alive and intact. Temporarily it seemed AJ had claimed her victory over the Four Horsemen.

Until, that was, Shadow began to chuckle to herself.

"Wow, you really don't get _anything_ do you?" she said with a sigh. AJ was confused.

"W-what are you laughin' at?"

"Oh man… do you _really_ think I care about Wolfe's strange little personal agenda with you?" said Shadow. She smiled deviously. "_Fuck_ Wolfe. That dumb whore always makes things so goddamn complicated. 'Spare this. Gimme that'. Pathetic. I respect the Boss, but I have no idea why he keeps her around. If it was up to me, I'd have her skull hung from a wall in my bedroom."

"Yeah! Tell 'em, girlfriend!" Archangel cheered before laughing hysterically. AJ took a step backwards. Her plan was falling apart into pieces.

"Frankly, I don't care what Wolfe wants to do with you," Shadow admitted. "She wants you alive, but to be honest, you've kinda screwed with the system. See, I'm a bit picky when it comes to keeping people alive. If they're poets or messengers who spread word of our strength, then that's fine. But, if they're someone of _your_ reputation, then they might cause future complications. You're a very hig priority target, Dawn. And well… if someone just happened to spot you on the grounds and cut you into ribbons by accident… there wouldn't really be much we could do about that. I'm sure Wolfe would be understanding of the circumstances. Even if she isn't, fuck her! Who cares about the nature of the dead and the damned." Shadow turned to Archangel as AJ slowly reach for her gun. She knew it was fruitless, but there was nothing else she could think to do. "Hey, A! Could you do me a favor?" She pointed back at AJ, who stood cowering in fear. "Cut the bitch's head off."

"I'd thought you'd never ask! Hehehehehe..." Archangel leapt off of the edge of the building, tumbling to the floor gracefully. She popped to her feet in front of the fountain, and her wings flexed back tightly, revealing some of their advanced circuitry. AJ could no longer think of anything to say. She was stuck. Shadow leaned forward with a grin.

"Oh, and Dawn?" she said in a low-key voice. "You look pretty afraid to me."

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Note: We at GodSaveTheKings greatly appreciate any and all feedback, so feel free to comment on the story. Everything we receive exponentially helps the writing process.<strong>**


	7. Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen (2)

**Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen**

**Operation: Apocalypse Now**

**14 June, 2025**

**Incirlik Air Base, Turkey**

"AJ! AJ, can you hear me now?"

Rebecca cursed under her breath. Communications had been lost with Agent Dawn, and the support team had done nothing to improve the situation. She had been repeatedly told that an emergency air lift was impossible due to strict border controls. There was seemingly nothing she could do except wait.

"Maj, you've been talking to no one for, like, an hour," Jamie said, the small girl sitting by her companion's side.

"Thank you, Scoots, for the time check," Rebecca groaned. "Really, I needed that. It helps me so much more when I know how long I've abandoned people."

"No need to get hostile," scoffed Jamie. She held up a bag that smelled of chicken and vegetables. "Look, I've brought you some food."

"Not hungry."

"Everybody needs to eat sometimes, especially when they work hard."

"I'm _not_ working hard," Rebecca said sternly. "I'm sitting in a chair in front of a screen. Of all the people in the world, I'm not one who should be chowing down on… whatever the fuck that is."

Jamie pouted, trying her best to seem adorable. "Oh, come on! It's your special Turkish seven-in-the-morning dinner feast. They must be pretty used to jetlag, because they have 24 hour dinn—"

"Scoots… shut it."

The young girl's pout quickly diminished into a scowl, and she placed the hot food on the cold, metallic floor. "You know sometimes, I think you work too hard over nothing. Whatever AJ's doing right now is out of our hands, but she's pretty talented. I have faith in her. I don't what you're freaking out about."

"Clearly, there's a lot of things you don't get," said Rebecca, her eyes never leaving the black screen. "Like, for example, when to leave someone _alone_."

"Fine, I'm leaving," Jamie sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. She stood up from her seat in the dark room, and walked towards the exit. "I'm gonna get some sleep. If anything happens, I'm sure we'll be notified. Until then, have fun stressing out."

The door was slammed closed before Rebecca noticed that it was ever opened. She continued staring at the blank screen, which only read two plain words, "Feed Disrupted". The smell of chicken wafted into her nostrils. She pressed her hands into her forehead, and sighed.

* * *

><p>When AJ finally moved, it was out of instinct alone. Her hands snapped to her back and drew her blades, even though her rationale told her that they would likely be ineffective. At the sight of the objects, Archangel began to snicker.<p>

"Hehehe… is that how you plan to do this?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side, examining, watching. "Those swords _reek_ of insignificance. I wouldn't use them to cut open beef, let alone a person."

"Maybe you shouldn't underestimate them," AJ said shakily.

"Oh, is that right? The cute little American trying to sound tough? Hehehehehehehehe…" The winged woman crouched down, her wings flexing and bending behind her. The segments creaked open revealing circuitry and coils of metallic fiber that AJ couldn't dream of recognizing. Yet their complexity beckoned her to gaze at them. They were rustic, yes, but there was undeniable grace and elegance in their design. Every nanometer was constructed with perfection to create flight, and despite their evil nature, the deeper purpose resonated. Behind the grey mask, a peculiar curiosity arose in the demon.

"Why are you looking at my wings like that?"

After a brief moment of panicking, AJ shrugged away the question, and turned away her gaze. "No reason. You just… remind me of someone I used to know."

Archangel became greatly amused by this comment, as she began snickering to herself. "Do I now? That's interesting. Please, tell me more… what was her name? Her occupation? Her favorite sin—ooh, questions, questions, _questions_!"

Archangel rubbed her hands together, and began squealing in excitement. AJ scowled in disgust at the juvenile action. It was almost as if she was talking to a small child—no a toddler. How could someone be so intimidating one moment, and so immature the next? It distracted AJ's thoughts from her efforts to stay alive.

"There aint no similarities," AJ finally answered bitterly. "Her wings… they were like yours."

"Aw, I hate to break it to you baby," Archangel cooed. "There aint _anybody_ in the world like me." In a flash, she leapt to her feet, and thrust her hands towards the sky, accepting the atmosphere in a loving embrace. "I'm special, you see? God chose _me_ to do his great work!"

"Will you get on with it?" Shadow called out, rolling her eyes. It was apparent that she had heard Archangel's tale before, and it seemed like she was about to hear it again. The winged Horseman only giggled at her ally's incredulity.

"No one understands the plight of an angel. I can't blame her; it is a very difficult thing to understand, after all. Tell me, Dawn, have you ever heard voices calling your name?"

"Can't say that I have," came the response.

"I have. It was a long time ago when they first came to me: little whispers in my brain. They sounded so smooth and calming. They said they were my friends, and they only wanted the best for me. But I couldn't possibly understand them at the time. I hated them so much for everything they said to me. I thought I was going mad!" Archangel wrapped her arms tightly around her chest. She rocked slowly back and forth as AJ looked on with curiosity and disgust. "I used to stay up through the dark hours of the night because I was afraid that they were monsters waiting to eat me in my sleep. I was so naïve at the time… but then one night, I had a revelation. I was lying in my bed, and a brilliant white light appeared before me. It was the Lord himself, gracing me with His presence. Do you know what he said to me?" Archangel leaned forward, and spread her arms wide.

"He said, '_The world is full of sinners, my sweet. They rot away in their media, their technology, their pornography, their adultery… My creations are tainted. But you are pure of heart and mind. You are the only one who can save these people from their own existence. I have chosen you to be my angel.'_"

Archangel burst into another cackle, and spun around in a daze. "He called me an _angel_. Those voices in my head—they were messages from angels telling me of my true purpose! They were simply the beautiful voices of Mother Mary, of His 12 Disciples, of Jesus Christ… they chose _me_ to be the next prophet, to lead the world into the golden age of Heaven and glory! My purpose is to rid the Earth of all sinners, and make it a true paradise for the worthy. I don't slaughter. I merely bring the wretched beasts salvation from their own putrid, sinful existence, and deliver them righteousness in the name and glory of God!"

AJ let the words of the Horseman sink in. She came to one valid conclusion.

"Ma'am, I don't know what those voices tell ya," she said sternly. "But I doubt God would put the future of humanity in the hands of a crazy bitch like you."

The comment, although not intended as particularly venomous, cracked through Archangel's mind like a hammer. Her head snapped sharply to the right, as if a switch had just been flicked on inside of her skull. Her blank face seemed to glow with hate. In a flash, she drew her sword, the spiked metal glistening in the morning sun. She spoke in a low, hoarse whisper.

"What would _you_ understand of God? What does an unholy science experiment like you know about anything? You were raised to be a demon. It's my right to exorcise you. Do you see this blade here? _This_ is called the Final Sin. It was blessed by the Holy Spirit, and has redeemed hundreds in the world. And…" the thing growled. "I believe I've found someone new who needs saving."

The monster kneeled down, and rested on her knees. She laid her sword down in front of her, and pressed her hands together in front of her chest. She looked up towards the sky, and shouted clearly:

"Oh, great God! Oh, mighty Spirit! Grant me the strength to combat this vengeful abomination! Let her heart once again be opened to your greatness!"

_Damn, she's lost it,_ AJ thought hopelessly. She held her swords out in front of her, waiting for the worst. Shadow had taken to sitting down on the fountain, holding her head in her hands. She didn't seem interested at all. It wasn't just boredom; she _knew_ that there wasn't going to be much of a fight. For all of AJ's power, she stood no chance of winning. Perhaps she could hold her own for a while, but the chances of that leading to her benefit were slim. All of her hopes rested in the small pouch that was attached to her belt buckle.

"Praise be Your infinite wisdom, praise be Your infinite strength!" Archangel continued to cry. Her voice was like a wonderful song that had been scratched repeatedly on a record player. "Blessed be Your Name, and Your Grace, and may You strike down Your enemies without mercy or despair, for they are wicked and deserve none. Oh, Holy Spirit, of Heavenly Father, protect me in my fight for Your Glory, and allow me to spread Your words to all throughout the world! Send this wretch back into the fires of damnation, so that she may learn the error of her ways, and return to You, in love and peace."

Archangel leaned her head down, and stared at AJ through the grey mask. She tilted her head slightly to the right.

"Amen."

The movement was so sudden that AJ hadn't the time to exhale. Time crawled to a screeching halt. The wings roared to life, the creature leapt off the ground and let out a terrible howl. She accelerated towards AJ, closing the gap between them almost instantly. When she was only a few feet away, she shot her arm back towards the fountain. A thick, black wire shot out of her forearm, a hook attached to its end. The sound of grinding gears and creaking metal filled the air as the hook latched onto the Final Sin, and retracted itself just as quickly and suddenly as it appeared. Archangel was just a meter away when the blade was returned to her hand, and in less than a tenth of a second, she had brought her arm back, and swung it viciously at her target's head. It was only by a miracle, or some act of God that AJ managed to move out of the way. She tumbled to the ground with a thud, before using her momentum to spring back to her feet. Archangel skid to a stop, spinning around on her robotic heel to face her enemy. The mechanical monstrosity shot forward again, raising her sword for a vertical strike. AJ raised her blades to counter, and the pieces of steel clanged loudly as the met. They had reached a stalemate. AJ gazed into the face of the angel as both of them struggled to maintain balance. All she saw was empathy.

"Oh yeah," Archangel groaned. "Now _this_ is more like it!" The rockets flared, and Archangel leapt back several feet. AJ took a deep breath while the beast rolled her shoulders twice. The Horseman pointed her sword at her opponent, and taunted. "Come on baby: show me what you can do!"

With a hop and a skip, the angel leapt back into the fray, releasing a quick series of slashes in every direction. There was no clear pattern; sometimes at the end of one stroke, her arm would jerk back to the same side, and repeat the exact same movements as before. Her erratic behavior left AJ in a position only to backpedal out of the way, her feet scrambling in deadly choreography. Yet, despite the constant threat of her taking a misstep or sudden interference from Shadow, AJ felt like the fight was going surprisingly well. In actuality, anything would have been a better outcome than what AJ had imagined, in which her head was chopped off her body instantaneously and used as a soccer ball. But it was true: the fight was moving relatively fine. Archangel, while fast, appeared much slower up close than from a distance. Whether it was the increased adrenaline slowing down her sense of time or her delusions being misplaced, AJ was finding a way to survive, at least temporarily.

From Shadow's perspective, it was as if she had entered an alternate dimension. Archangel couldn't land a hit, try as she might. It wasn't a case of sympathy. In the several years that the women had known each other, Shadow had never seen Archangel show mercy on another, and Archangel expected the same from her. It was a mutual agreement set in a firm handshake and trust, never to be broken while in the line of duty. Therefore, Shadow reached only one logical conclusion: something was terribly wrong with her teammate.

"AA, what are you doing? Finish her already!" Shadow called, eyeing her partner carefully. Archangel missed another swipe of the sword, yet turned to her leader and laughed.

"I'm just playing around with her," Archangel proclaimed proudly. "I should get to enjoy myself too, you kno—"

_SMASH_

While Archangel had been pleasantly chatting, AJ sensed an opportunity. The monster's attention was elsewhere, her sword resting at her hip, and her wings folded back. The threat was minimal, and there might not have been any other time to act. AJ summoned all of her strength, and charged ferociously at her enemy. She thought of her fallen friends, of their lives wasted, and swore to herself to make things right. AJ had leapt into the air, and delivered a sucker punch straight to Archangel's exposed jaw. The blow caught the devil by surprise. She was sent sprawling backwards onto the floor, landing awkwardly on her neck. She tumbled limply across the sand before coming to a final, painless stop.

_This_ is what AJ would have liked to happen. _This_ is what did happen.

The moment AJ's hand collided with its target, pain shot up her arm. Metal reverberated loudly, and while Archangel's head was turned by the blow, her feet did not budge. AJ let out a yelp of agony and clutched her wounded hand. It felt like she had just punched tank. The vixen shot her head towards the special agent, and let out a chuckle.

"Oh… you did _not_ just do that to me."

_CLANG_

A metal, heeled foot slammed into AJ's gut, causing her to double over on the long leg of the angel. Her blades fell from her grasp. She slid off onto the sand without a word, her body opting to cough out the pain instead.

_Okay, that really fucking hurt,_ AJ couldn't help but think as she lay helpless on the ground. Archangel looked at the writhing woman curiously, before kicking her in the side, inciting another yelp of pain.

"Damn… is that all you can do?" she cooed. "One kick and you're down for the count. I wanted to make this last longer. Believe me, I did. I don't get to play often." With the tip of her foot, Archangel rolled AJ onto her back. The sunlight shone across her eyes, and a sword was directed at her face. She lacked the energy to get up. In the bliss of the morning, she felt like she could lie there indefinitely. "Oh well. I guess I'll have to find someone else to fight with. Maybe I'll travel to your bosses; I have a couple of things I'd like to show them."

No, AJ realized. She couldn't allow _that_ to happen. With reinforced will, she spun her legs around and punted the beast in the stomach as hard as she could, buying a few precious seconds. Springing to her feet, AJ grabbed Archangel's wing with one hand and her neck with the other, bending down to shift the tremendous weight. It was nearly equivalent to moving a truck. It was only by a combination of Archangel's lack of balance, alterations in momentum and sheer force of will that AJ was able to throw the winged creature several yards away. The second the vixen was thrown, AJ whipped out her pistols, and took aim.

_BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG_

Archangel tumbled only briefly when she struck the ground, and immediately slid to a halt on her hands and knees. The wings wrapped around her figure with a loud slam and locked in place as a shield. The bullets bounced away harmlessly, but Archangel's fury had been provoked.

"Okay, bitch! Is that how you want to play it?" she screamed. With a flare of her rockets, she flew back into action. AJ continuously fired as Archangel sped towards her, the Final Sin primed for another strike. It was only at the last moment that AJ tucked and rolled to her left, causing the monster to roar and slam into the ground, flipping around in mid-air to adjust her landing proper. AJ resumed firing, knowing full well that her weapon was inefficient. That was not her point; a hypothesis was working in her brain, and she needed to test it.

"You slippery little faggot," Archangel spat with disgust, hiding behind her wings. She popped forward again, only this time AJ charged right back at her. With glee, Archangel pulled back her blade, and slashed low at Dawn's legs at lightning speed. But AJ was crafty. She sprung into the air and wrapped her arms around Archangel's neck. She swung her legs up and around the metallic shoulder, feeling the hard metal press against her skin. The wings spun out of control, and Archangel was pulled headfirst into the ground. AJ rolled away as fast as she could, trying to gain distance before her enemy recovered. Miraculously, she found her way back to her machetes, and picked them up wearily.

"AA, what's the matter with you?" Shadow said, concern growing. "Stop fighting her like a bitch and fight her like a man!" The winged creature slammed her fists into the ground, and dragged herself to her feet.

"I don't need your commentary, Shadow!" she growled. "I'm doing fine."

AJ smirked. "I don't know darlin'. You _look_ like a bitch to me."

Archangel's head snapped to the side, the movements in her neck more mechanical than organic. She tossed away her sword, and stamped her foot into the ground. AJ studied the foot intently. Two splintered, white toes were plated on top of a grey base, and then overlaid with black sub-layer. The sleek metal was arched in the middle, descending in the back into steep heels that gave the Horseman her towering height. AJ noticed a small knife extending out of the heel, which clearly had not been there before. The day was simply full of surprises.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that, skank," Archangel screeched, speeding forward like a mad dog. She attempted to deliver a roundhouse kick, but AJ ducked underneath it easily. Archangel recovered fast, and spun around in the other direction trying to land a kick with the other leg. AJ slipped away from the one too. Archangel flung herself wildly about, kicking from every angle, every direction, using every possible technique she had ever known, but could not land her target. She dashed about furiously, flipping in the air, crying out in distress, punting randomly at AJ's arms, her legs, her throat, her chest, anything that could be struck and would bleed.

But AJ kept dodging. She had essentially won the fight. The solution was obvious: Archangel was insane. Obviously, knowing that alone would do no good, but coupled with twenty-eight years of experience on the blue planet, AJ had pieced together plenty of information to discern a weakness. It was just as how she dealt with King Sombra many years ago in Vitrumia. The insane and delusional did not like to be pushed. They were unstable, and any nudge in either direction would send them spiraling uncontrollably out of sync. Sombra had been too enraged to fight properly, and now, history was repeating itself. She may not have been able to hurt Archangel, but she could at the very least survive.

Archangel screamed with each worthless kick. "Why! Won't! You! Stand! Fuck! Ing! Still! You! Horrid! Retarded! Cunt!"

AJ slid out of harm's way for what felt like the hundredth time. "Jeez, you young kids and all of your swearing," she taunted as she continued to dodge attacks. "Why don't you ever have anything nice to say? In my day, we had a lot simpler words we'd like to call each other. Granted, they weren't as _extravagant_ as what you'd say, but they got the point across just fine. So…"

AJ grabbed onto Archangel's leg, and held it in place. The Horseman froze.

"…why don't you keep your damn _mouth_ shut…"

She grabbed onto the back of her hooded head, and pulled it close.

"…and mind…"

With all of her might, AJ flipped around her sword, and slammed the hilt of the blade square into Archangel's face.

"…your fucking _manners_!?"

The Horseman sailed backwards into the fountain, groaning as she slammed into the stone. She lied there motionless. Shadow looked down at her fallen comrade; her eyes showed incredible shock. Archangel had _lost_? It was inconceivable. Archangel was indestructible, an immortal being of metal and flesh, incapable of being defeated. Yet somehow, this blonde-haired, tired, _human_ woman had beaten her. AJ smiled brightly at Shadow's distress. One threat was down, one more was left in front of her.

"Aaagh!"

In an instant, AJ's smile faded. Archangel sprang back to life, and stared at her furiously, her body doubled over like a living corpse.

"You've really pissed me off this time, haven't you!?" Archangel proclaimed. The chord shot out from her hand, and latched onto the Final Sin, dragging it back to its owner. "I'm through with it! You think you can just toss me away like that!? Don't you know who I am? I am God's retribution, and I won't let a bitch like you put me down."

Her head snapped to the side again. She whispered to herself. "That whore. That's what she is: a whore. Why'd we go easy on her anyway? Fuck her, fuck them all. We should just kill her now, kill her now, kill her _now_. Yeah… wipe her off the face of the Earth, kick her to the curb, eliminate, annihilate, discriminate, _terminate_!"

Archangel let loose a maniacal cackle, scrunching to the ground as low as she could. AJ drew back in fear.

"This. Ends. Now!"

The next thing AJ knew, Archangel was airborne, spiraling higher and higher into the endless blue sky. Her shape shrunk into a spec, and still she flew towards the sky. How high was she climbing? Four hundred, five hundred feet into the air? AJ had no idea. Shadow watched her with mild amusement as her companion soared, eventually disappearing altogether. The sound of rocket engines faded away. There was nothing but peace and quiet. AJ waited for something to happen with bated breath.

Then, a screech filled the air, and the black spec began to plummet back towards the ground. Archangel had pulled her wings back like a swooping hawk, speeding towards the ground with precision. AJ did her best to calculate her movements.

_Wait for it,_ she thought impatiently. _Come on, any second now._

"I'm gonna tear you the fuck in half!" Archangel cried from the heavens. She was at least one hundred feet above the ground, and falling steadily. Shadow was now watching intently, her gaze traveling the swooping creature. She briefly glanced back at AJ, hoping to take some enjoyment in the American's look of pure terror.

But AJ, with one hand hovering calmly over a pouch on her belt, was smiling brightly.

_Now._ AJ's thumb pressed on a concealed button on the top of the case, and observed. Meanwhile in the sky, the Archangel descended with a vengeance. Her fists were clenched tightly, and she could feel the blood rushing to her brain. The adrenaline was pulsating its way through her body, filling her with the urge, the desire, the _need_ to kill. Thoughts of the agent's body cut up into slivers spiked through her mind like rusty nails and broken glass, splintered fragments of her psyche all yelling and bubbling and flashing simultaneously in ranting, raving masses of blood and guts and ecstasy. It made her happy.

_BEEP. BEEP._

Archangel was snapped out of her stupor, and glanced backwards. What was making that noise? She had never heard it before. It wasn't long before she located the anomaly: a small, red disk, only an inch wide, placed directly on her left wing. She stared at it, blinking inside of her mask to see if it would go away. When it didn't, she stared at it further.

"What the hell is—"

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt_

The electric surged crackled through the metal wings. They vibrated rapidly out of control for a second, sending Archangel careening off to the left before shutting down entirely. AJ and Shadow watched as Archangel began to fall out of the sky, her black limbs flailing desperately for something to grab onto. She was screaming, not in her war-like, blood thirsty screech, but in a horrified, anguished, mortal wail that echoed throughout the square. Shadow was in shock. Her friend's anger and violent nature was gone completely, replaced with the cries of a young girl, begging for help that would never come. She had only heard Archangel yell like that once before, several years prior, during a time when the poor creature was still in the infancy of her new life. She wanted to reach out for her, but could not. She could only watch helplessly as her friend slammed into the ground with a loud crash somewhere else hidden beyond the rooftops.

"Archan—"

_SMASH_

The soft flesh greeting her fist was possibly the most satisfying thing that AJ had ever felt. The fantastic expression of shock and pain on Shadow's face gave her a deep sense of euphoria, and she felt like a goddess. Shadow recoiled back with a grunt, and AJ knew she only had a moment to deliver some serious damage. She slipped another disk out from her belt, and slapped it onto Shadow's left hand. The electric surge caused the limb to go completely limp, dangling uselessly from the Horseman's side. Shadow rebounded back quickly with a wild punch, but AJ pushed past the fist and grabbed the back of the pale woman's neck. With as much ferocity as she could muster, she slammed Shadow's head directly into the stone fountain, causing the Horseman to tumble down the tiers and land on the hard ground below. Blood was flowing from a long slit on her forehead, and she winced in agony.

"Agh!" Shadow gasped in pain. Her arm had gone numb. She felt the warm blood trickle past her nose, down her lips, and onto the sand beneath her. She felt a million pounds heavier, and it was a struggle to move. She felt weak, pathetic, unworthy, bitter, and more emotions she could barely comprehend. Through the haziness in her vision and the red fluid dripping near her retina, she made out the details of Dawn sprinting away deeper into the village. She growled, and snapped her palm open. The glaive came to life in her hand, and empowered by anger, she threw the device as hard as she could. It bounced off of stands and windows, but alas, Dawn was out of sight by the time it reached her. It came rolling back to her like an obedient pet, whining and whimpering. Exhausted, Shadow rolled over to her back, and looked out into the sky.

"Ghost, Judgment… can you copy?" she said in a coarse whisper. A deep, soothing voice responded.

"Boss, what's going on?" Judgment asked calmly.

"Archangel, she's—agh—she's been taken down. I've lost contact."

"AA's down? I thought she said she was going off with you? What the hell happened?"

"It… it was that American from Cairo," Shadow said angrily. Every word she spoke clouded up her thoughts. "That clever bitch, she… I don't know. Archangel got knocked out of the sky. She isn't responding."

"Jesus," Judgment said somberly. "Ghost, you picking all of this up?"

"I'm here," came the snake-like whisper of the psychic. His voice penetrated directly into their thoughts, clearing out all natural boundaries and blockages. "I'm already searching for her, but you both know I can't sense her thoughts." Sensing Shadow's disappointment, he quickly added, "Don't worry about that kid. She's survived a hell of a lot more than twenty story drop."

"Yeah… I know," Shadow agreed quietly. She wanted to curse Ghost for his shortcomings, but she knew that no matter how softly she spoke, he would end up hearing it anyway.

"What do we do now?" Judgment pondered aloud. "I'm still clearing things out over here with Wolfe. Should I tell her that her 'prey' has showed up?"

Shadow considered the option briefly. "No… act like you don't know anything. If she finds out we confronted her, she could end up deducting our pay. Just play ignorant, and wrap things up with the Boss."

"Roger that," Judgment said, shutting of his communications.

"Ghost, we're switching gears. I want you to find Dawn at all costs."

"What about AA?" Ghost asked, semi-curiously.

"We can worry about her later. You're right: that psychopath can live through anything. No sense in thinking of her now. What's important is making sure you can hunt down Dawn before she causes too much trouble with the boss while the sweep is going down."

"I'll see what I can do," Ghost stated. "But it's gonna be pretty damn hard picking out a thought pattern with this many frightened civilians throwing me off."

"Just get it done," Shadow groaned. She sensed Ghost releasing his grasp on her mind, and she slipped back into solitude. It was hard to believe how much things had changed in such a short period of time. She used to be a simple woman, with a simple family, and a simple life. Now, she was touring across the world with a psychopath, a living tank, and a poltergeist. She did not long for her old life, but in that moment of solitude, bleeding into the sand and staring into the sky, Shadow dreamed of returning to the way things used to be.

But, perhaps that is a story for another day.

* * *

><p>If there ever was a story to be told, then it might have been that of Les Terreurs. The exact nature of the Terreurs is complicated, and would require an understanding of several decades worth of French history. They were AJ's supposed allies, but aside from that she knew little else. She suspected that they were probably macho men, with crew cuts and stubbly chins and gravely voices like all early millennium action movie stars. She had originally heard that there four of them, and they probably were a healthily diverse group of fellows who prized teamwork and comradery over everything else. She even imagined the stereotypes they would all play out. There would be the muscle-bound idiot with a heart of gold, the wild jokester who never silenced, the black man who spoke little, and the handsome leader with a tragic past who she would inevitably fall in love with. He was most-likely named "Jake". They probably had a catch phrase, and would go and fantastic missions all over the world to stop evil Asian dictators and crazed terrorist schemes. In AJ's mind, she could seek no better assistance.<p>

In actuality, it turned out that there was a lot of false information being passed around. Most notably, Les Terreurs did not consist of four people, but around ten. There had been around eighteen at one time, but a helicopter crash removed four them from existence several months ago, one died of asphyxiation from poison gas, another one from a brain tumor, and two more were killed in an explosion while on a mission. In fact, Les Terreurs were quite a sad group. Granted, they were often very successful and gathered a reputation as such, but never did their work load require that much celebration. They were a French tactical unit designed to eliminate small threats, and almost never did a massive firefight break out and buildings collapse around them, nor were they ever forced to repel down the side of a mountain while being fired at from a supersonic jet. Based on the standards of American propaganda, they could almost be deemed "pathetic".

The leader of the group was named Rufus, and while he did have a tragic past, it was not particularly heartwarming. As a matter of fact, Rufus' crime involved accidently murdering his own family while under a drug-induced psychotic rampage. He was not charming or handsome, as his face was covered in thick scars and he had the likeability of a moist toothpick. The most that could be said of Rufus was that he knew how to command his squadron, as he had done successfully ever since the original commander died in that helicopter crash several months prior.

Rufus and the rest of Les Terreurs were currently residing in a dark, dusty house that had been long evacuated. The ten men sat patiently, firearms in their laps and frowns on their faces. They were told that eventually contact would be made with Agent Dawn, a superb American operative who would assist them in evacuating the captured scientists. Of course, none of them knew what Dawn looked like, or when he would arrive, but they felt confident that if they waited long enough, he would find his way to them.

Rufus stared blankly at his nine companions, all of whom he cared little for. There was Jonah, Alan, Edgar, Dorian, Matthew, Louis, Nathaniel, Boris, and Laurence, but Rufus could not decipher one from the other because of their thick mouth guards and sturdy helmets. To him, they were all practically expendable. In fact, if there had been one lesson he had the displeasure of learning, it was that everyone was eventually going to die, and it was best not to mourn for them when they did. It was what kept him going through life. Sure, he was occasionally spurned on by a half-decent cause (as he was now), but that did not make him a just man. He wasn't even sure if he betrayed Silver Hounds for a just reason. Les Terreurs never obeyed anyone, it was written into their reputation. And so, here he was, waiting around bored, betraying his superiors so he could help someone he never met. Now that he thought about it, he would probably end up betraying Dawn too, just because there was nothing else to do.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Rufus, open up!" called a voice from the dreary wooden door several yards away. "It's me, Dorian! Let me in!"

Rufus shrugged. He did not remember letting Dorian go on a patrol outside, but he supposed that he must have done it at some point. After all, the person spoke French, and he would be hard-pressed to find anyone in an Iranian village speaking his native tongue. Without bothering to consult his team first Rufus walked to the door, and opened it to see an amusing sight. There was who he assumed to be Dorian wrapping one arm tightly around the neck of a strange woman, with cropped blonde hair and fierce green eyes. She raked her teeth together, and attempted to shake free from his grasp to no avail. In his other hand, Dorian held a pistol, which promptly stuck to the woman's forehead.

"We need to discuss some things."

Now, from AJ's point of view, things were better than they could have been. She _could_ have been killed by Shadow, but she wasn't. She _could_ have been by Archangel, but she wasn't. She _could_ be killed by these ten strange men, but if her hunch was correct (and her knowledge of French was semi-accurate), she could be able to survive this too. Granted, if she hadn't been so caught up in her escape to begin with, she never would have found herself stumbling into gunpoint. But AJ was confident that she could overcome. She found herself being thrown to the ground in the middle of a circle, masked men staring at her from all directions.

"I found her a block over," explained Dorian. "I caught her off guard, but she looks like she could put up a fight."

"Hmm, she doesn't look like a bad guy," thought Rufus aloud. "Actually, she doesn't really look bad at all. Kind of cute, in a way."

AJ growled. "I understand what you're sayin', assholes."

The men were immediately taken aback. "You know understand French?" Rufus stated bemused. "Dorian, who is this woman?"

"No idea," Dorian admitted. "But she certainly isn't Silver Hounds." Rufus bent over, and approached AJ.

"Where are you from?"

"The States."

"How do you know how to speak French?"

"I know a lot of things."

"Are you with Silver Hounds?"

"Are you?"

"I'm asking the questions."

"And I'm not the person you should try making threats to," AJ warned. "Now, can you answer this: are you Les Terreurs?"

"What's it to you if we are?"

"Because if that's the case, then we should be helping each other instead of wasting our time," AJ stated with certainty. "I'm Agent Dawn, United States Special Forces: your _contact_."

Rufus looked at her quizzically. "You're Dawn? The 'wonder soldier' we've heard so much about?"

AJ smirked. She had never heard that particular phrase before in her life. If she wasn't being held at gunpoint, she might have laughed. "I'm not sure if wonder soldier is a good term, but that's me. Don't look so surprised."

Rufus and Dorian exchanged glances with each other. They supposed that it could have been possible for the woman to be telling the truth. After all, who else could she be? They did not recognize her from Silver Hounds, and she certainly wasn't local.

"If you really are Dawn," said Rufus. "Then where is Neptune? He said he would be making contact with you."

AJ felt confused. So Neptune wasn't there either, she figured. She was hoping that, at least, he would be able to make contact with Les Terreurs. However, it seemed like the man had simply vanished off the face of the earth. Worse, it seemed ever more likely that Neptune sold them out.

"I don't know what happened to Neptune," AJ replied earnestly. "But you're gonna have to believe who I say I am. I want nothing more than to get those hostages out, and get back home. I plan on going after them myself regardless of whether or not you come along."

Rufus considered her words for a moment, and then pulled Dorian aside. He whispered in his companion's ear. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"

"I was sold the second she started talking," Dorian stated truthfully. "She knows more than anyone else _should_ know. I'd say she's the one to help us. Besides, if she tries to betray us, we can just kill her. What's the harm?"

Rufus hastily agreed. She may have claimed to be a "wonder soldier', but she couldn't take down all of them at once. Les Terreurs were efficient, and if she proved to be an enemy, it would most certainly be her downfall.

"Dorian, I need you to do something for me. Take three of the men and call in the chopper at the secure landing site. We'll be there with hostages in under an hour. Make sure the zone is clear. Got it?"

Dorian swiftly nodded, and walked away. He pointed to three random men, and pointed at the exit. One-by-one, they sighed, grabbed their rifles, and followed him out the exit. Rufus turned back to AJ, who had overheard the entire conversation, and was rather annoyed about the circumstances she was put into.

"Get up," Rufus ordered, to which the American obeyed. "The hostages are located about a mile from here outside of the village. They're being held at an abandoned military outpost that was broken down circa 1979. We should expect heavy resistance. Are you comfortable with that?"

AJ smiled. "I deal with it all of the time."

"Good. Then let's head out."

Rufus immediately proceeded to walk to the door, turn left, and begin his march towards the enemy. AJ was perplexed to find the other soldiers pick up and join him without any further instructions. She raced ahead, shoving her way through the armored thugs and jogging up to Rufus' side.

"Is… is that it?" AJ asked in disbelief. "No more details? No enemy intel? No knowledge of defenses or manpower or strategy or nothing?"

"Why?" Rufus asked dismissively, not bothering to stop. "Is that a problem? You're a talented soldier. Figure it out as we go along."

There was no further discussion on the matter. Any time AJ opened her mouth to speak, someone else cut her off. The distant gunfire had resumed, although the effect on her had somewhat been muted thanks to all that she had already been through that day. She saw a legion of helicopters fly off from the direction in which she was headed. Who had to be taken away, she wondered. Who had decided to flee from the base? She pressed on in the dark. Her dislike of Les Terreurs was obvious to her. It was fair to say that she hated everything about them. They seemed to have no sense of honesty or loyalty or respect or talent. They were just her allies, and the sooner they became expendable, the better. She knew it was dark to think that way, but she couldn't help herself.

Les Terreurs led her through the broken village, past the bodies of a dozen innocent people, while none of them said a word. Soo, she found herself drifting away from the faint civilization, and back into the heavy sand. Her movements became sloshy and stiff, but she was forced to press on. A large cluster of rocks, twenty feet tall, lied before her in the distance. Behind it, camouflaged by the environment, was a massive tan building. At least, she reasoned, she didn't have to travel very far with the people she hated. A raven flew overhead, its black wings penetrating through the arid sky. AJ thought it to be mildly strange; did ravens even live in this part of the world? She shrugged off her doubts. It was no time to let her head get filled with unimportant thoughts.

As she passed through the sea of rocks, she did start to wonder what force awaited her at the base. One dozen soldiers, two dozen, three, four? Was a Horseman there, eagerly waiting to slice her head off? Was Wolfe there, stalking her prey? What about The Man with No Name? How quickly would things escalate out of control? AJ forced herself not to become irrational. It was unlikely that people so high up would remain after such chaos had been inflicted. And as she turned the corner and examined the base in full, she received an answer:

No one was there at all.

Rufus casually gave the order to push forward, the rest cautiously following his lead. They walked to a large, rusty door, guns pointed in all directions looking for targets. AJ's head passed left and right more times than she could count. If all of the men were gone, where did they go? Rufus pointed two fingers at the door, and the soldiers took up a breach formation. Two pressed against the sides, three waited several feet away, and Rufus stood far in the back, knowing best to avoid the danger. AJ moved in close, ashamed at her partner's cowardice. It was a mission to save lives, so he could have been _slightly_ more grateful to be a part of it. The men by the door reached underneath the sheet metal blocking their path, and began to lift it up.

_CREAK_

The large metal door opened at a painfully slow rate. Once it was a foot off of the ground, one of the soldiers waiting by the door rolled a grenade through the opening, and held the door in place. AJ waited, her fingers wrapped tightly around her gun. If the helicopters were any indication, The Man with No Name had probably left, and Wolfe might have been with him as well. Still, there had to be dozens of Silver Hounds standing guard on the inside, waiting for some attack like this. The men surrounding her seemed nervous as well; she sensed their anticipation.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang from inside, and the door began to rise again. AJ saw smoke billowing out of the entryway. She heard Rufus shout orders at his men to march ahead. Smoke and darkness were all that greeted her as she ran inside. The two men on the door swung themselves in, kneeling as they took aim in the blackened chamber. AJ and three others followed suit. Rufus casually stayed back behind the rest of them. She used her spare arm to cover her mouth. The smoke was _everywhere_, and she feared that she may have killed the hostages before she had a chance to rescue them.

But then, AJ noticed something wrong. There was silence echoing in the darkness. No choking, no enemy orders, no screams of panic, but absolute silence. She looked around for movements, but there was none of that either. The smoke was so thick that she could not make out the fine details, but she could tell by the reflecting sounds of her footsteps on concrete that the room she was in was quite large, possibly large enough to hold the dozens of hostages. If it truly used to be an abandoned military outpost, then she wondered if this used to be the vehicle bay. AJ took a step forward, and felt something soft squish beneath her boot.

"Men, flashlights!" Rufus ordered as more of the soldiers began to pile into the bay. They flicked the switches on their rifles, and beams of light shot out, clearing through the smoke. One soldier had the bright idea to check for her safety, and aimed the light directly at her, effectively leaving her blind. AJ backed away, her feet pressing against more of the soft substance.

"Watch that thing," AJ said bitterly, glancing toward her feet. Her eyes went wide. The light had broken through the smoke, illuminating the floor around her. There was a light pink mess on the floor beneath her. She dug her sole into it, and it squashed and made a sound like fine jelly. Something red had spilled next to it. As more lights shone through the smoke, her surroundings became more and more clear. Slowly, the movements of her fellow soldiers came to a stop, as they gazed around the empty hanger. The smoke was fading, and the horrors began to reveal themselves: blood splattered hectically across the stone walls, empty eyes gazing off in every direction, jaws hung open in a permanent scream. Bodies were scattered across the floor, covering the surface almost entirely.

It was no longer a military base they were in. It was a bloodbath.

AJ turned her head in shame. The corpses stared at her, blaming her. There couldn't be any survivors. Everyone had abandoned the base minutes before she arrived. Those helicopters she saw must have been the remnants of the murderous clan who carelessly took the lives of one hundred innocent people. It was a tragedy, a massacre, a senseless display of violence done for no apparent reason.

And it was all her fault.

"Dear God," muttered one of the soldiers under their breath.

"I don't get it," said another. "I thought they took these guys hostage for a reason. Why go through the trouble of they're just gonna kill all of 'em?"

"Does it matter?" Rufus said glumly. Of course, his failure was to be expected. "The evac should be arriving soon. We need to get out of here."

AJ forced herself to look around at the bodies. Who would ever find out about this, she wondered. She knew how her own government worked. They would simply cover up the entire incident, claim ignorance, and move on. The Iranian government would accept zero responsibility. No one would ever learn of the sacrifice made by these people. As she walked among the dead, she felt the guilt subsiding, and being replaced by fury. She realized that there was simply too much damage to the bodies for a simple execution; they were having fun murdering people. Finally, the pressure built to such a point where AJ felt she had no other option than to slam her fist into the wall, and scream.

"Goddammit!" She shouted, the six other soldiers looking at her in shock. "Those bastards are going to pay for this. I'll hunt them down all over the world if I have to. Just… argh!"

"Dawn, we need to go," Rufus attempted to say before being swiftly cut off.

"We can't just leave!" AJ cried. She motioned to the carnage around her. "Look at what they did. We need to make them pay."

"They killed the hostages… so what?" Rufus said with a shrug. "It's not our mission any more. Time to leave."

AJ was seething with rage. It was very complicated for her to put into words just how bitter she actually was. She was all alone in dangerous territory surrounded by people she barely knew. The least she expected was to be able to trust someone with helping her when she needed it. Les Terreurs were professionals. They weren't supposed to feel guilt or sadness or show emotion in the battle. They barely seemed human. When she was with P.O.N.Y, everyone relied on each other for emotional support. If one person was hurt, then the others rushed to her aid. P.O.N.Y. may have been a failure, but at least it felt like home.

There was a dim light in the otherwise dark and bloody chamber. A door several yards away had been left ajar. AJ stared at the single illumination in wonder and fear.

"Dawn, let's get out of here," ordered Rufus once more. Les Terreurs began to walk toward the exit, but AJ took a step deeper into the compound.

"Hold on a second," she said passively. "I need to check something." AJ took careful steps to avoid stepping on the dead. She waded through the darkness, wondering what could lay behind the door. There were no sounds emitting in that direction, so it wasn't any survivors or remaining Silver Hounds. In fact, it was probably nothing. But curiosity bested AJ, and she slowly pushed the door open. Inside was a small office space, only two yards in diameter. A desk rested against one wall, broken technology spread across its surface. Spider webs laced the machinery. If it hadn't been used for years, AJ thought, then why was the light on? That was when AJ noticed the reflection coming off of the desk: a compact disk. It was in pristine condition, and stood out from the otherwise dusty and inferior office. AJ picked it up, and examined it thoroughly. There was no information imprinted on it, expect for two simple words written hastily in blue marker:

_HeLP Me._

A surge of energy ran through her. She jolted out of the room, and fumbled her way through the sea of bodies that surrounded her. She ran quickly to catch up with Les Terreurs, whom had already left the building, and were making their way back to the rocky land mass.

"Hold up!" AJ shouted at them. She waved the disk around frantically, causing Rufus to bitterly stop and turn around. "I've got somethin' importa—"

"Who cares," Rufus said dismissively. "It's not in our jurisdiction anymore. The job's done. Let's go home."

"Not in our jurisdiction?" AJ spat back at him. "Not in our fucking jurisdiction!? I'm trying to save someone's life—"

"And I'm saving our team. No good comes from chasing untrustworthy leads, now does it?"

"Apparently not," AJ sneered. She shoved the disk into one of the spare slots on her belt. She was fed up with everything. It took all of her willpower not to shoot Rufus in the back of the head. Who cares about innocent lives: she did. Was she the only one fighting for something decent? Rebecca was fighting due to orders she barely cared about, Archangel fought for violence, Les Terreurs fought for money, and she couldn't take it anymore. She continued following Rufus, her eyes piercing through his skull.

_BOOF_

But it was at that moment that Rufus came to a complete stop. The rest froze and stared curiously. A black ball of smoke had briefly erupted directly in front of the French mercenary, and then disappeared almost immediately after it arrived. Rufus' body shook as if struck by an icy wind. He trembled in place, his unrestful hands reaching up towards his throat. They made contact, and AJ watched in horror as his neck was sliced in two, and slid away from the rest of his body.

"Oh God, get away!" cried a soldier to AJ's left. Another puff of black smoke materialized surrounding him, and something or someone spun out of it, grabbed onto the soldier, and threw him away before vanishing again. AJ suddenly realized that it wasn't some peculiar phenomenon or bizarre accident. They were under attack. She did the only thing she could think of: she ran. She and the other soldiers darted back through the rocky passage, around the bend, and across the empty patch of desert. She heard a scream come from behind, and the sound of cutting flesh. One of the others turned around and began to fire, but AJ did not assist him. There was nothing she could do against someone she could not detect. She heard the gunfire die out, and continued moving.

There was something hauntingly familiar about the smoke. She was certain she had seen it before. The constant vanishing, the black smoke, and the perfect slices of a blade all struck a chord. She traced back her memories. Was it from one of her first assignments, her time with P.O.N.Y, something she heard on the news, or was she just imagining it altogether?

The village was only several yards away when someone else was cut down. It was simply her and a single soldier, Louis. Louis, who had been watching as all of his comrades fell in a single puff of smoke, had gone mad. He pushed himself forward, desperate to escape the horrors that trailed him. He sprinted past AJ at a remarkable speed, bursting through the empty village with the power of fear guiding him. AJ grew fearful. It seemed that both she and Louis had noticed a pattern: the ones furthest behind were the first to die. He was leaving her to die. Even if his life would be spared briefly, it would still be spared. He glanced backwards, smiling as the distance between him and his abandoned ally grew.

_BOOF_

The blade cut through is stomach like tissue paper. AJ slowed to a stop twenty feet away. The smoke faded, and the body of Louis crumpled to the ground. However, the mysterious being remained in place, unmoving. His face was ragged yet held the remnants of a charming man, and a scraggily beard grew from his cheeks. His nose was crooked to the left, and swelled at the top. His loose, black hair fell past his chin. He wore a tan trench coat with fluttered and flapped in the light breeze, a sheath strapped around his back, and in one gloved hand, he brandished a long, thin, black katana with strange characters engraved on the surface and glowing orange. He gazed up at her, his face a cross between that of a noble gentleman and a fierce savage. His most distinguishing features were his eyes: the whites had been faded black, and a glowing, crackling orange light emitted from his irises.

AJ remembered who he was. Her mind jumped back ten years. P.O.N.Y. had been in operation for less than one month. They had been assigned to investigate a strange series of murders in Haddonfield, West Virginia. After investigating overnight, they stumbled upon a strange and with orange eyes, _this_ man with orange eyes, who talked of destiny and honor. She had been decommissioned in the battle, but she remembered his strength. He was the first Macer she had ever knowingly met, a talented swordsman who could disappear and reappear at will in a puff of smoke. He wound up being allowed to walk away with his life, disappearing into the night. No one had ever found him, no one ever came up with any leads, and no one ever seemed to care about what happened to him. But AJ cared, and she remembered who he was perfectly well.

"You're… you're 'The Beast', aren't ya?" AJ said quietly. She waited anxiously for a response, but none came. The man simply smirked, and looked up at the sky. He sighed, and closed his demonic eyes.

"The Beast…" he repeated, his voice as gentle as the breeze. "I have not taken _that_ name… in many years."

Silence filled the air. AJ did not dare to speak. She knew that if she muttered one single wrong phrase, it would be the end for her.

"Tell me," The Beast asked her. "How do you know who I am?" AJ quickly looked away, and he frowned. "Don't worry: I won't kill you. Please… answer the question."

"I… I met you a long time ago," AJ admitted. "I doubt you'd remember who I was. It was—"

"Ten years ago," The Beast said with a smirk. "Now that I think about it, I _do_ remember you. You were there, on that night in Haddonfield, weren't you? My memory of my life is foggy, but _that_ night… I know every last detail."

AJ was taken aback. He recognized her. She wasn't sure how she should have felt, but she couldn't help but detect a growing pit of despair in her stomach. A raven crowed overhead, and then swooped low to land on The Beast's shoulder. He stroked its beak.

"It had been raining out earlier that night," he stated confidently. "I was moving my way through the cities of your country in order to find an honorable death. I recall being tracked back to a high school, and being greeted by you and several other girls: one had a sword. Her name was… Tara, one of you said. You looked like the only one who had any idea what you was doing. I took a baseball bat to the ribs, knocked you out, and told Miss Tara about my sorrows." Suddenly, his face lightened up, and he looked back at the sky. "And then… _she_ showed up. Miss Fiona Samswell. She descended like an angel. Even now, I can picture it accurately, every bead of sweat dripping down her forehead, every cautious gaze of her green eyes, every single one of her movements in battle. She was the only person I had ever met to have the heart to spare my life; she was a single honorable soul cast into a world of the unforgiving. It was on that night—that one night in Haddonfield—that I found the person who would help me fulfil my destiny."

AJ couldn't help but sneer. "I'm sorry to break this to ya…" she said coldly. The words became caught in her throat, but she forced them through. "Your 'destiny' played a joke on you. Fiona died six years ago. There isn't any guiding force left in your future… she's _gone_."

The raven flew away, squawking as it rose into the sky. The Beast stared at AJ not with contempt, but much to her shock, understanding.

"I know about all of that," he stated. "I was informed of her case several years ago. She was practically wiped off of the earth. Her remains are buried near her home in Maryland." He paused, taking a moment to recollect himself. "Do you know why I started Silver Hounds?"

AJ had no answer. The man before her was a complete enigma. He was The Beast. He was The Man with No Name. He was a swordsman. He was an animal. He fought for honor. He killed mercilessly. There wasn't anything she knew for certain, and the only reason she had yet to reach for her gun was that the only thing she _was_ confident of was her ability to fail.

"Life, my friend," he explained softly. "Is a meaningless endeavor. Fate is a joke. Destiny is put in the hands of the people, not the Gods. I used to believe that it was my destiny for one person to end my life, but now that I have realized the futility of that concept, I can dream… bigger. My choices are for _me_ to decide, and with Silver Hounds, we can impact the choices and lives of everyone in the world. We are going to usher in a new change, my friend. Now…"

He raised his sword towards her. His orange eyes pierced through her heart.

"Give me that disk."

With a grunt, AJ jumped back and pulled out her firearm, taking aim at The Beast's head. "Sorry sir… I don't think I can do that."

The Beast chuckled. "Look, we can be civil about this. The French men betrayed my trust; that is why they had to die. You, on the other hand, are just following simple orders. I'm giving you the chance to choose your own fate: hand over that disk, and you can leave without any harm coming to you."

AJ considered the possibility. Choosing her own destiny was something that she craved. She thought about it for a moment: what was the point of her staying and fighting? She was already half-way to her death, so why waste what needed to be spared. It was just a disk. It wasn't worth losing her life over. She could return home and final do some good with her life. All she would have to do was give up the disk. The choice was rather obvious.

"Yeah… that aint happenin', sir," she said with a small grin. The Beast studied her for a moment, judging whether or not her refusal to submit was reason enough to attack.

"It's too bad you feel that way," he said, taking a step forward. "I actually thought that you might have learned something after ten years."

"Back away from her!"

Both warriors shot their head towards the shout from the sky. A shadow rocketed to the ground, its massive form blocking out the sun. It slammed into the earth between them with suck ferocity that it kicked up mounds of sand and dust ten feet in the air. AJ closed her eyes and ducked away from the blast. She heard the groaning of sharp, moving metal, and fear pierced through her heart. She easily recognized the horrid screech. When the dust finally settled, she saw a dark figure facing away from her, kneeling close to the ground; her silver wings stretched out over her form, casting a heavy shadow.

The Beast raised an eyebrow. "Archangel? You should be helping your friends now, shouldn't you? Leave… this isn't any of your business."

Immediately, AJ noticed something was wrong. Actually, it wasn't that something was wrong at all. Something was terribly _right_ with Archangel's behavior. The vixen did not snap her head to the side and glared. She did not burst into her hysterical, horrifying laugh. She did not say grace, or taunt her foe, or scream like a maniac. She did not take out the Final Sin, or even mention it. She simply stood there, her posture straight and firm, a stone statue of a woman. She spoke softly, her broken voice muted.

"I'm sorry sir," she stated. "I can't let you do that."

The Beast curiously responded. "Archangel, I'm giving you a direct order. If you don't want any reduction of your pay, I suggest you leave us alone."

Archangel paused for a moment. She felt AJ staring at her, incapable of understanding. "The woman… are you planning on killing her?"

"Why does it matter?" The Beast asked in-turn. "I understand your lust for blood, but she's not your priority. If you want, I can give you her remains."

"You don't get it. I'm not here to kill her…" Archangel sighed. Suddenly, with a flick of her wrist, she unsheathed her weapon, drawing out the sharp steel. AJ recoiled instantly, but Archangel did not turn towards her. Instead, she slid back on her feet, and gripped it tightly, aiming it at her boss. "…I'm here to get her out alive."

"Get me out?" AJ muttered under her breath. The Beat remained unmoved.

"Are the Horsemen turning their backs on us?" he questioned her, not showing any signs of fear. "I thought we were supposed to be allies."

"The Four Horsemen aren't betraying anyone," Archangel clarified. "_I_ _am_. It's not something the others have any part in."

"You're turning your back on the others?"

"What can I say?" Archangel shrugged. "Creative differences."

By this point, AJ had lost a frame-of-reference on everything that she once knew. The Beast and the Archangel stood ten yards apart, watching each other, waiting for the other to move. Were they friends or enemies? Who was she supposed to trust? AJ knew for certain that Archangel was mad. She was psychotic, a lunatic on the constant verge of losing control and going on a rampage. She was a member of the Four Horsemen, the most dangerous people on the planet. And yet, here she was, talking with a calmness and clarity that no one would ever claim her to be insane. Her words seemed contradictory to her actions, and AJ couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Until, all at once, the truth dawned on her.

"It… it was _you_, wasn't it?" AJ said in disbelief. Archangel did not move. "You were the one who gave us all of that information about Silver Hounds' plans. You tried to arrange this attack from the beginning. _You're _Neptune."

Archangel remained quiet for a long moment. Slowly, she glanced backwards, her mask covering all expression.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," she said calmly, turning her attention back to her former boss. "I thought it might have been a bit more obvious. By the way, sorry about trying to kill you earlier. With Shadow sticking so close to me, I couldn't make proper contact."

"Back there, you were only going easy on me?" AJ asked, already knowing the answer.

"I had to make it look convincing," Archangel stated. "I'm a psychopath, not an idiot."

AJ felt both incredible relief and deep frustration. Archangel had gone _easy_ on her. What an insulting phrase. She could only imagine what would have happened if one of the others had found her. Could she have held off a living tank like Judgment, or a skilled combat-expert like Shadow, or a telekinetic freak like Ghost on her own? Apparently, she couldn't. If it wasn't for Archangel, she would be dead. Her skill had nothing to do with her survival. Even now, she was only safe because Archangel swooped in at the last possible moment. She was alive based on luck. It wasn't a very comforting fact.

The Beast broke into a chuckle, dragging AJ out of her thoughts. "Archangel, my dear… you are charming when you say things like that. Adorable even, especially for a monster like you. If you think that you can sell out information about _my_ men, make a mockery out of _my_ abilities, and steal _my_ resources… I'm afraid that you have really overestimated your chances."

"Really?" Archangel hissed. She smirked. "I think you might be just a bit delusional. Do you really think so highly of yourself? You've seen what I can do to people when I want to hurt them. If you really want to fight me, then I suggest you get ready to meet your end." She turned towards AJ. "Dawn, evac is on its way. Get out of here. I'll handle the bastard."

AJ clenched her fist. Archangel was right: she needed to get out. The sooner the information on the disk reached Rebecca, the sooner she could help whatever hostages remained. But when the time came to leave, she found that she couldn't. She simply could not bear the idea of someone sacrificing their life for her. Instantly regretting her choices, AJ pulled out her gun, and aimed it at The Beast.

"I aint goin' anywhere," she said confidently. "You're gonna need all the help you can get."

Archangel growled. "Are you fucking stupid? It's not safe here. I can take care of him."

"No offense, but you're in over your head," AJ claimed. "That man has abilities unlike anythin' you've ever seen before. He can teleport instantaneously, appear anywhere at once. And with that sword of his… you'd be cut down in seconds. Besides, what's to stop him from chasing me down once he's through with you, or just ignorin' ya altogether?"

"He'll fight me. He has to," Archangel remarked, bitter at the stubbornness she was faced with. "Look Dawn, just get out of here and stop worrying—"

"And leave you to die? Should I just be expected to feel responsible for what happens to you?"

"I'll be fine. It's not safe here. It's my priority to make sure you don't get harmed."

"And it's _my_ priority to keep my friends safe. If you mean what you say, then let me assist you. Together, we can—"

"Dawn, stop arguing with me," Archangel angrily said through her ground teeth. "I can beat him on my own, I _know_ I can. Please, just leave me alone."

"Whether you like it or not, I'm staying," AJ said with finality. "That's the end of it."

Archangel growled furiously, and finally, with all of her pent-up frustration, shouted as loud as she could, "AJ, will you listen to me for once in your goddamn life!? I know what I'm doing! You need to get out of here _now_!"

AJ froze. Her voice was different. It was not her usual broken, high-pitched scratch, but instead, her voice was smooth, low, soothing, and _desperate_. It was as if Archangel had instantly gone through a metamorphosis. AJ's worries were gone, replaced with something new, something even more horrifying. It wasn't just Archangel's ferocity, or her desperation, or the fact that she knew her real name:

She knew that voice.

Archangel snapped her attention back to The Beast, and jammed her sword into the ground.

"It's been so long in the making! How long has it been?"

She began to unclasp several straps around her chest.

"How long have I been watching you, remembering you, thinking of this moment when we would finally get to finish our struggle?"

More straps came undone, and the wings started to droop from her shoulders.

"Has it been nine, ten years? All this time… I've been waiting to cut your throat open. Now, we finally get to finish it!"

The last strap came undone. With a groan, the wings rolled off of Archangel's shoulders, and slammed against the ground with a crash. As they lied in a heap behind her, she flexed her shoulder joints, stretching in joy of being rid of the heavy mass.

"You said that I was a monster?" Archangel taunted with a light cackle. She pulled the hood off of her head. AJ took several steps back in disbelief. The voice brought back all of the memories of pain that she had been burying for years, all of the guilt that she had sought to be rid of. Archangel grabbed onto her mask, and laughed.

"You haven't seen _anything_ yet."

She tugged lightly, and the mask was yanked away, and dropped to the floor. Long, pink hair fell past her shoulders.

The haunting woman stood alone in the sand. She looked up, and smiled. Her face was exposed for all to see. It was clear that, at some point in time, she used to be beautiful. She used to be someone who was compassionate and honest. The remnants of her face made that clear. There were parts of her face that were beautiful. But there were also the parts that were terrifying. She used to have two bright green eyes, but now only her left eye remained. A thick, rectangular eye patch covered the right side of her face; beneath, sections of her metal skull stuck out visibly from a past injury. She used to have thick, succulent lips. Now, all of the skin on her lower jaw had been removed, leaving exposed her bone-like mouth and silver teeth. A silver tongue wiped its way across her non-existent bottom lip, and she smiled. She used to have a beautiful smile, but not anymore. Now, it was horrid, corrupted, evil. What remained of her face gave way to what she used to be, and what she had now become: an abomination.

"Okay, motherfucker," Fiona grinned. "Let's dance."

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Note: We at GodSaveTheKings greatly appreciate any and all feedback, so feel free to comment on the story. Everything we receive exponentially helps the writing process.<strong>**


	8. Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen (3)

**Act II: Terror of the Four Horsemen**

**Operation: Apocalypse Now**

**14 June, 2025**

**Northwestern Iran**

Fiona Samswell: sweet, innocent, radiant, loving, charming, pure.

Archangel: horrid, abominable, cruel, deceptive, evil, monster.

As AJ watched the thing before her kick up her sword, swipe it out of midair, and dash towards her foe, her mind could not come to the conclusion that they were the same person. Her memory was not faulty. Fiona died years ago, hadn't she? The body was confirmed by a trusted friend, and she had spent six years feeling guilty over the fact that she could do nothing to stop it. And now, the Archangel, or Neptune, or _whatever_ she wanted to be called, was rocketing towards The Beast, her half-face contorted into a devilish grin and her heeled feet skidding across the ground like ice-skates. It seemed like The Beast was equally confused, as he simply stood still as the monster rushed at him, screeching like a caged animal. It was only at the last possible second did he vanish in a puff of smoke, sending Archangel sliding to a complete stop. She whirled around like lightning, and without flinching, threw up her sword. As if by some miracle, The Beast reappeared exactly in front of her, his dark sword crashing into hers with such intensity that she was nearly forced to the ground. She growled as she held back the enemy sword.

AJ was still around.

That was the first thing Fiona noticed upon reaching a clash with The Beast. Her good eye flicked towards AJ, hate searing from its animatronic lens.

"Go, you fucking idiot!" Fiona screamed at her. "Run before I kill you myself!"

AJ reacted hazily. She stumbled away from the fight, her perception of reality deceiving her. She only fully committed to her escape once the robotic creature (which may or may not have been Fiona) shouted at her a third time.

The Beast glanced backwards at the escaping prey. Fiona instantly read his mind. She tucked in her leg, and kicked him hard in the stomach, causing him to recoil and back away.

"I'm not through with you yet," she said angrily. The Beast grimaced, but his lips eventually curved into a smirk.

"I…" he muttered under his breath. "I thought you were dead, Miss Samswell."

Fiona smiled back at him. "Sorry to keep you waiting so long. Tell me: did you miss me when I was gone?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to hear that?" The Beast laughed, stepping forward and swinging his blade. Fiona parried and struck back, her feet bouncing off the ground as if springs, her attacks more of a dance than a fight. Both combatants smiled at each other as Fiona went on the offensive. They each gripped their swords with a single hand; in fact, Fiona was fighting with her weapon in her left hand, which she had never done before, but suddenly felt the urge to do so. The Beast remained poise, stepping back in careful strides as he blocked away her wild strikes. Fiona had no pattern to her attacks. She wound herself up like a top, leapt through the air, ducked and stabbed low, tossed the sword between her legs, and jutted it upwards at his chin all in a singular motion, swinging all the while.

As AJ glanced back at the fight, she realized that they were barely fighting at all. They were playing with each other.

"You were hiding under my nose this entire time, haven't you?' The Beast asked curiously. "That's why you never took off the mask?"

"I always said my face was hideous," Fiona laughed, touching her exposed cheek bone. "By the way… heads up!"

Her leg flipped upwards behind her head, and grabbed onto her ankle. Her sword clicked into the space between her spiked heel and her forked toes, and with a yell, she swung her leg around at The Beast's head. He leant backwards, watching the blade sail harmlessly over his head. Fiona growled as she balanced on her left leg, shifting her weight. She sprung off her foot, cartwheeled on her metallic palms, and launched herself ten feet in the air. She spun seemingly out of control, until, in a fraction of a second, her body straightened out, and she plunged her foot towards The Beast, the Final Sin aimed directly at his heart.

The Beast smiled lovingly. _That_ was the ferocity he used to know.

He slid out of the way of harm. Fiona landed in her sword, balancing atop the hilt on one foot like a wild monkey. The Beast slashed at her legs, but she flipped off the sword backwards, landing on her feet. The black smoke absorbed him, and Fiona barely had enough time to launch out a hook from her forearm, drag the sword back to her, and raise it in defense to her right before The Beast was there slashing at her again. Fiona licked her scarred lips as they entered another clash.

"Stylish tricks like that won't help you, you know," The Beast said.

"Does it fucking matter?" Fiona asked with a horrifying grin. "Who cares what tricks I do, or what way I fight, or how long it takes for one of us to bleed? In case you've forgotten, we _both_ know who wins. Isn't that your destiny to watch me tear your head clean off shoulders? C'mon, Beastie… don't tell me you've forgotten that bit?"

As The Beast stared into Fiona's good eye, he noticed something he never remembered being there: malice. Fiona was enjoying their duel far too much. Something evil was lurking far beneath the surface, something beyond a crude eye-patch or missing flesh or a silver skeleton. As she ranted about her lust for his blood, her desire to end his life, her destiny to bring about his end, he realized a truth that he had just forced himself to forget.

Fiona was Archangel. He _hated_ Archangel.

"Oh, Miss Samswell," The Beast lamented. "What happened to you?"

Fiona stared at him for a moment, thinking carefully about her answer. After a few seconds, she grinned the most vicious grin she could muster, and gave the answer that rang prominently in her mind. Her green eye narrowed.

"I was reborn."

Fiona shoved The Beast back, and charged at him. She gripped the Final Sin with both hands, striking at The Beast from all directions. She stabbed across his body at such awkward angles that he couldn't properly defend himself; yet, if any of her attacks had actually connected, they barely would have scraped his skin.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you" Fiona ranted. "I'm gonna fucking kill you so stop dodging you pathetic cunt. Just let me do my fucking job and kill you already. It's our destiny, so stop fighting back and let me cut you—"

The Beast grabbed her wrist, and forcefully shoved her away. She fell to her knees several yards away, still grinning. He found himself backed a stone wall, and realized that perhaps Fiona's outburst was more clever than he initially suspected. However, he remained calm and collected.

"I hate to say it, Miss Samswell, but I am no longer a believer in destiny," The Beast admitted.

His words were immediately met with a sword being flung directly at his skull. He tilted his head to the right and saw the blade get jammed into the stone next to him. By the time he noticed the chord attached to its hilt, Fiona was already getting reeled in towards him, skating across the ground on her heels. The Beast lifted his sword to strike down upon her, but she leapt into the air, using his chest as a springboard to launch herself higher. The Final Sin was yanked back into her hand as she plunged towards him, hatred fueling her.

For a moment, The Beast felt a strange sensation of euphoria. The image of Fiona Samswell, falling towards him with a sword aimed at his chest, brought back a pleasant memory nearly a decade old. Yet, history was not about to repeat itself. The instant before the steel touched his heart, he vanished, and Fiona's sword became buried inside of the earth.

"Where'd you g—" Fiona barely had time to speak before she was kicked brutally in the stomach, and knocked away from her sword. With a growl, she rose and turned back towards her opponent.

But then, she stopped. The anger dissipated from her disfigured face, and was replaced by awe. Slowly, she looked down at her stomach, and stared in wonder at the sword sticking out of her. She did not feel any pain, but merely confusion. The black sword was only an inch inside of her gut, but she could feel the heat radiating off of it.

The Beast smiled gently at her. "The woman who was supposed to kill me was pure at heart. You, Miss Samswell… you are not that woman anymore."

The Beast calmly placed a hand upon her shoulder, Fiona's eyes following his hand's careful movements. She felt frozen in time.

All at once, he yanked her towards him, his sword tearing through her insides and erupting out of her back. Fiona began to tremble as The Beast leaned into her ear, and whispered.

"I doubt destiny will mind if I killed you now."

Release. The Beast released his grip on the weapon, and watched as Fiona Samswell stumbled backwards, her eyes focused on the sword jutting out of her stomach. She moved back several yards, a series of pained and confused sounds emitting from her throat. Her shoulders slumped, yet she remained standing, huddled over like a shuffling corpse. In the distance, AJ watched with horror as the pained sounds grew louder. The wound was far too deep to recover from naturally, and there was noo time to get medical assistance. All at once, AJ realized that it was the end.

"Hehehehehe…"

The Beast blinked twice.

"Hehehe… ha ha ha ha ha…"

All at once, a horrifying cackle erupted from Fiona's lips. Her head shot back at The Beast, her one, wide eye staring at him with fury beyond imagining. What remained of her lips had been contorted into a dreadful smile, and she shuffled towards him, moving like the dead.

"Oh, Beastie…" she said playfully. "There's a little problem with that idea of yours."

Fiona's skeletal, robotic fingers danced as they grabbed onto the hilt of the sword jutting out of her belly. With two hands on the hilt, she bent backwards, and began to pull.

"See, if it was that easy to kill me…"

_SHNNNNNKK_

In one swift motion, the sword was ripped back out of Fiona's gut, a strange, black fluid dripping from its end. Fiona growled angrily, and pulled back her arm.

"…I would have died a long time ago!"

The sword was violently thrown through the air, sailing at The Beast's head. He stared in shock at the incident before him, recovering only to snatch his weapon as it sailed by. He grimaced in defeat. Fiona Samswell survived a sword through the stomach, and was laughing hysterically at his shock. He could have continued the fight, but it would be pointless. Nothing favorable would come from his death, and Fiona needed something else to save _her_ soul. Thus, he came to one single conclusion.

The Beast sheathed his blade, stared bitterly at the monstrosity before him for a long moment, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The smile was wiped clean off of Fiona's face. The fun had ended, and now she was alone in the sand. She looked down at the gaping wound in her belly, and wiped away the oily liquid. She walked towards her sword, showing no sign of pain or injury. With a forceful tug, she removed the Final Sin, but noticed movement behind her.

"I thought I told you to—"

Fiona was cut off by something she never expected to happen: she was hugged. AJ had absolutely no idea why she held Fiona so suddenly, but she did not know what else to do. Emotion overwhelmed her, but nothing specific. It wasn't sorrow, or guilt, or bitterness, or joy, or gratitude. It was simply an unbelievable urge to hug her friend.

"You're… you're alive," AJ spoke softly. "H-how did you… how are you even—"

"AJ," Fiona said in a monotone voice. AJ noticed she wasn't being hugged back. "Please… never touch me again."

AJ released her grip, and backed away. Fiona glared at her, while AJ took the time to examine every nuance of her broken face.

"And don't stare at the eye-patch," Fiona added snidely.

"I'm sorry," AJ said hurriedly. "But… you're _dead_, Fiona. You are supposed to be dead."

"Well, I'm not. So, if you could stop staring there like an idiot and actually get a move on, that would be helpful."

AJ was more confused than ever. Did Fiona not even care that she had been dead for six years? Why was she part of the Four Horsemen? Why hadn't she contacted the others sooner? How could she kill so many people without a second thought? What had happened to her to bring about such change? A million more questions ran through AJ's mind, but before she could ask any of them, the Archangel barked at her.

"I'll explain everything once we get out of here. A chopper is landing down a few blocks over, and I suggest we get there before it leaves us." She tugged at her suit, and growled. "Goddamn outfit. I need to get _comfortable_."

Before AJ knew what was going on, Fiona turned away and started tearing her clothes off, stripping down to the bone. She stabbed at her clothes with her sword, tossing away the shreds of black fabric. When the deed was done, AJ stared at the woman before her, shocked. Black metal covered her entire body. It ran up her arms, down her thighs, around her back, and up to her neck. Wherever there wasn't black, white and silver reflective metal were present. They blocked off her chest, parts of her leg, her shoulder pads, her spine, and wrapped her in metal. There was no skin at all.

And then AJ made the connection. It wasn't that cybernetics covered Fiona's body. The cybernetics _were_ what remained of her body. There was nothing human left about Fiona Samswell except for her womanly shape, and the tattered, fake skin covering half of her face.

"Ah, that's much better," Fiona sighed. She looked backwards, casting an almost seductive glance at her friend. "You ready?"

AJ did not know what to say. She wasn't sure what was bothering her more: the fact that Fiona wasn't wearing anything, the fact that she didn't need to wear anything, or the fact that she acted perfectly fine being the way she was.

AJ simply nodded away the question. Fiona took off sprinting, and AJ hurried after her. The cyborg moved at a breakneck pace that even Rebecca would be jealous of. Whatever powered those strong legs of hers must have been incredibly efficient, for she sped through the empty streets in mere seconds, and turned on a dime. Even with her bizarre, stiletto-like feet, she had no problem moving. AJ, with all of her years of training, had no chance of keeping up. Traveling at such a speed drained AJ's stamina quickly, and she had already been through enough that day to make her weak.

Then again, it wasn't like Fiona had a simplistic day either. She had been electrocuted, shot at, repeatedly hit in the head, was stabbed through the stomach, and fell a hundred feet from the air. Still, Fiona didn't seem to care about being exhausted. She pushed herself harder than AJ thought was physically possible. Of course, AJ was not even sure if Fiona felt tired. She certainly didn't seem to feel pain, as AJ assumed that being horribly mutilated in such a fashion would elicit _some_ reaction. Maybe she did feel pain, but she enjoyed it. Given her time spent as Archangel, nothing would be surprising to AJ.

"Hey," AJ called out to Fiona, who running several yards ahead of her. "So, why did you bother with the 'Neptune' thing? Why couldn't you have just told us who you really were?"

"I told you I'll explain later," Fiona said dismissively.

"Well maybe I don't _want_ an explanation later," AJ snapped back at her. "We're moving, ain't we? I think we can afford to talk a bit—"

"AJ, I swear to God… don't patronize me. I'm a bit unfocused now, and I just want to concentrate on one thin at a time."

"That's not an answer."

Fiona muttered something incomprehensible under her breath. "It was something I had to do, alright. Can you accept that as an answer?"

"Somethin' you had to do?" AJ asked, a rage quelling inside of her. Her emotions were veering all over the place, and the hatred she felt towards Archangel began to rise to the surface. "Did you _have_ to kill those innocent people this morning? Did you _have_ to laugh at them as you tore their families apart?"

"No, I didn't," Fiona said bluntly, although she muttered under her breath, "But maybe I wanted to."

AJ sneered. She would have to have a long talk with Fiona once they got back; a very long, painful, uncomfortable, frustrating talk with a woman who was supposed to be dead. Still, that required them actually escaping, and given the rest of the Four Horsemen, the remainder of Silver Hounds, and Fiona's rapidly shifting personality, she wasn't sure if she would make it very far at all.

Suddenly, Fiona head jerked to the right, and she slowed to a sudden stop.

"What's the matter?" AJ asked, seeing concern on Fiona's face. Fiona stared directly at a building to the right, her eye darting back and forth."

"Five hostiles are waiting to ambush us."

"How do ya know that?"

Fiona tapped her metal eye-patch. "This body comes with some benefits."

"Can we go through?"

"Well, they're blocking the most direct route," Fiona explained. "But I'm also pretty sure that they're heavily armed."

"So you think we should backtrack then? Save our skins?"

"Nah, I have a better plan," Fiona said with a shrug. She turned towards AJ with a happy grin on her face. "I'll just murder them all."

Before AJ could call out to her, Fiona had sprinted towards the building, leapt onto the wall, and threw herself up its surface. Within seconds, she managed to fling herself over the building. AJ heard screams, gunfire, laughter, and she raced around the corner, gun raised, hoping not to see Fiona lying in a broken pile of scrap on the ground.

The moment AJ could actually see what was happening; a limb flew past her head.

"Agh!" someone howled, clutching a bloody stump on his body. "Someone help me!"

"Someone shoot her!"

"Take the hostile down!"

Despite their best efforts, no one was able to land a shot on the rapidly moving machine. Fiona sprung off of walls, cutting into her foes as soon as she got in range. She never killed them instantly, preferring to dissect them periodically, cutting off an arm here or a toe there before moving onto someone else. AJ was completely ignored, but the gruesome acts in front of her kept her from feeling relief.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Fiona taunted the soldiers, all of whom were propped up against walls or trying to crawl away from harm. Only three remained, and that was quickly lowered to two when a grappling hook was shot through his stomach and tugged back out. Fiona burst into a fit of giggles at the sight.

"Oh man, I think that went right through your large intestine," she squealed in glee. "Hehehe… I could feel it pulling against the soft coating of your _insides_. Hahahaha!"

She turned towards the other terrified soldiers, both missing limbs and crawling away desperately trying to survive.

"Who wants to get resolved next?" Fiona asked in a sing-song voice. However, before she could move, two swift shots were fired, and the enemies were dropped. AJ scowled as she walked up to Fiona, her fury growing more powerful over her joy.

"What the hell was that for?" AJ berated her. "Are you nuts!? That was completely uncalled for!"

Fiona shrugged off the comment, her smile fading. "I seem to lose myself when I get going. I… apologize for that."

AJ stared at her in disbelief. "Apologize? _Apologize!?_ You just… how can you—"

"Shhh… hold up," Fiona held up her hand, and looked around. AJ heard the noise too: chopper blades. In the distance, she could make a black dot headed towards the village. All other thoughts were lost. The only thing AJ cared about was getting out of there.

"How far away is the landing zone again?" asked AJ.

"It's just around the corner," Fiona stated confidently. "We should be able to—"

Fiona froze. Her eye looked over AJ's shoulder, watching in panic. She saw a large, hulking, robotic figure marching several dozen feet away, stomping up sand with every step. The massive creature turned to look at her, their gazes meeting in shock and awe. Without hesitation, Fiona ran past AJ, snatched the pouch off of her belt, grabbed a handful of red disks, and threw them as hard as she could. AJ turned to see the disks fly, and the large Horseman staring at her in confusion.

"Archangel?" Judgment questioned her. "What are you—"

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt_

Judgment yelled in agony, and fell to his knees. Fiona looked at AJ in anticipation, and told her to run, to which the soldier hastily agreed. As Judgment watched them sprint off in the distance, he shouted into his ear piece.

"Shadow, Ghost," he called to them. "Archangel just went AWOL!"

"What are you talking about?" Shadow pestered him.

"Archangel was with Dawn. She—agh—she attacked me. There getting away. I think she's lost her mind."

"Dammit, Fiona," Shadow muttered bitterly.

"Where are you located?" Ghost asked. "I can't get a good read on you."

"They've already left," said Judgment. "There's a helicopter inbound; it's not one of ours. You should probably cut them off there. Those French bastards might be with her."

"Alright, I'm headed there now," Shadow said quickly. "Give me sixty sec—"

"Horsemen: stand down," came another voice over the ear piece. It was a hard, bitter, cruelly feminine voice. "I repeat: stand down. The boss wants you to get out. _I'll_ take care of the runaways."

* * *

><p>"Keep up suppressing fire!" Dorian ordered his men over the whoosh of the helicopter blades. Despite the helicopter landing several yards away, his men made no effort to escape to it. They had to hold down the area until the rest of his squad had escaped. Of course, he had no idea that most of his teammates were dead and cowardice, but no one could really blame him for that. Besides, he had other concerns as a crowd of Silver Dogs had ambushed them. His men kept up their attacks, but morale was fading.<p>

"Come on, Dorian," one of his men called to him. "We need to get out while we have a chance."

"No, we wait for the others," Dorian insisted. He was blocked in behind a crumpled stone balcony, hearing the bullets bounce off the material behind him.

"They should have been back by now!" someone else shouted at him. "My magazine is almost empty. We should cut our losses."

Luckily, Dorian did not have to make a complicated decision, for the enemy gunfire ceased, and their screams echoed over the battlefield. After hearing the rushing sounds of footsteps coming towards him, he peered over the cover. He spotted Dawn chasing after a strange, pink-haired woman, and scratched his head.

"Dawn, what the hell is going on?" he asked her, starting to run her way. "Who is that? Where are all the others?"

"Dead," Fiona cut AJ off. "Shut up and get on the helicopter before you wind up like them."

"Whoa, hold on for a second," Dorian stopped in place, his fellow Terreurs lining up behind him. "What do you mean 'dead'? What happened to them and who the fuck are you to be telling us this?"

Fiona growled, and slowed to a halt, AJ nearly crashing into her. The cyborg spun around, unable to be stopped.

"I just saved your goddamn _lives_. You should be on your knees begging for my grace, you stupid son of a—"

"Everyone, calm down," AJ interrupted. "There's Silver Hounds approaching from all sides. This aint no place to start havin' an argument. Let's just get out of here before anyone else winds up dead."

Fiona scoffed, and began running back to the helicopter, which had touched down only thirty meters away. Dorian looked back at his own men, men who he was now in charge of. They were wounded, weak, tired, and had been through hell. He did not trust Dawn, or the disfigured woman she arrived with, but he supposed that anything would be better than staying behind.

"Men, let's go."

_BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG_

Before a single step could be taken, the five of them dove to the ground. AJ glanced past Dorian's shoulders. A single figure was walking towards them, gun outstretched in a single hand. The person was so far away that the details were miniscule, but AJ was certain she could see a beige, hooded jacket, and a blue scarf covering the warrior's face.

"Shit, it's her," AJ said in realization. She rose to her feet, and began walking towards the woman who had spared her life several days before. However, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Dawn, get out of here," Dorian instructed her. "We'll handle Wolfe."

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked in confusion. "I'm the one she's after—"

"And you're not looking like you're in any shape to fight her. Look, just get out, will you? You're the only one who has something to lose by staying behind."

"I'm not leaving you to—"

"That's an order, idiot!" Dorian yelled. "Men, defend the landing zone until the helicopter is out of harm's way."

AJ looked back at Wolfe. She knew nothing about the woman at all. She had no idea why she was hated, why Wolfe spared her life, why she felt such a feeling of dread towards the woman who never showed her face. She looked at Dorian, someone she knew nothing about either. He was prepared to lose his own life to save hers. She thought of the disk in her pocket, the cries of someone still alive, still needing her help. She knew nothing about them at all, yet she wanted to help them desperately.

When AJ thanked Dorian and ran to the helicopter, she had no idea why. Life was rather strange like that.

Gunfire erupted as AJ approached the open doorway into the B8-NSWCH. Fiona stared at the battle with apathy. AJ jumped into the open room, and immediately turned back. The gunfire had stopped, and AJ fully expected to see the Terreurs running back to her. Astonishingly, that was not the case.

Wolfe was already on top of them by the time the helicopter started to take off. AJ watched as the masked woman dissected her opponents with such brutality and precision that she was almost forced to look away. Wolfe moved mechanically, her entire body swinging to the rhythm of the bloody dance. In three consecutive punches to the stomach, ribs, and neck, Dorian fell hard. Soon another collapsed, and then another. Wolfe never pulled out a gun or a sword; she simply took the others down with knees, elbows, and fists. AJ could actually feel the impact of the killing blows, punches so powerful that they cracked through skulls and tore through muscle. When all of the soldiers were dead, Wolfe stared up at the helicopter only a story above her, her hollow green eyes watching in fury.

But then, Dorian sprung back to life, grabbing her knee and flipping her on her back. He stood over her triumphantly, assault rifle pointed towards her head. But then, before he could pull the trigger, he noticed that her foot was pointed up at his face. There was a barrel strapped to the heel of her boot.

_BANG_

The kickback of the gun gave Wolfe enough momentum to propel her to her feet. AJ's mouth hung open. She stared at Wolfe in absolute shock. Where on earth did she learn how to do that? She barely had time to wonder before the woman with the scarf grabbed one of the guns off of the ground, and opened fire on the helicopter.

"Shit," Fiona muttered as she and AJ were forced to take cover. "This damn woman never gives up, does she?"

Wolfe continued to fire upon the helicopter. She had no intention of killing anyone aboard except for the pilot. She needed AJ to be in top condition. Killing her now would mean that she wasted her entire life's efforts.

However, she heard something rushing towards her from behind, and dove out of the way. A pair of large, metallic wings soared past her, the wind blowing off her hood. Her bob of crimson hair fell over her eyes as she watched the wings fly up to the door of the helicopter, and enter. The door finally closed as the B8-NSWCH flew higher into the clouds, and she was left completely alone in the sand.

Aboard the helicopter, AJ collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. After everything that she had been through, she needed a rest. She closed her eyes for only a moment before she felt Fiona shake her awake.

"Give me the disk."

"Huh?"

"Give me the disk," Fiona ordered. "That disk you picked up. I think I can play back the audio of whatever message was left by it."

AJ, groggy and weak, carefully handed Fiona the disk, and watched hazily as she began to rub it with her fingers. She fazed in and out of consciousness as she saw Fiona meddle with the object, placing it in seemingly random locations, holding it up to her eye, and other things she could barely understand. After a minute of trial and error, the audio suddenly arrived, full of static and jumbling itself. For a moment, it seemed like it was completely useless, and AJ drifted back to sleep.

However, upon hearing the first few words, AJ's eyes immediately shot back open.

"_H-h-hello? I-If you a-are rece-ceving this messssage, th-then I des-desperately need yo-your help. M-my name i-is Doctor Rachel Germain, a-and I've be-been taken hostage."_

**Operation Apocalypse Now: Completed**

**Act II: Concluded**


End file.
